1
as in darkened
being without light or without much light
a tenebrous night with no moon
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dark
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer
in the midst of those tenebrous days Thomas Paine penned the immortal words "These are the times that try men's souls"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tenebrous
Their flowers stand out like no others due to the backdrop of their tenebrous leaves.
—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
28 Mar. 2026
Her writing can be luminous or tenebrous as the mood requires.
—
The Know,
Denver Post,
31 Aug. 2025
For all its darkness, Mujica Lainez’s Duke of Bomarzo is a lantern that illuminates the place and period that brought us modernity and, as such, our tenebrous but also brilliant little lives.
—
Literary Hub,
8 Aug. 2025
What tenebrous horror is this, emerging from the ineffable darkness?
—
Jon Chesto,
BostonGlobe.com,
26 Dec. 2022
By the same token, Spanish cinema at large has been reluctant to engage with that tenebrous period.
—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Dec. 2021
As in the 1610 version, Susanna is seated on a balustrade, but this time there is a tenebrous sky, rather than a clear blue one.
—
Rebecca Mead,
The New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2020
Natalie Erika James' assured first feature demonstrates bracing command of atmospherics, from its tenebrous visuals and labyrinthine production design to its nerve-jangling use of music and a thick soundscape stew of bumps, creaks, thuds and groans.
—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
27 Jan. 2020
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
28 Mar. 2026
Her writing can be luminous or tenebrous as the mood requires.
—
The Know,
Denver Post,
31 Aug. 2025
For all its darkness, Mujica Lainez’s Duke of Bomarzo is a lantern that illuminates the place and period that brought us modernity and, as such, our tenebrous but also brilliant little lives.
—
Literary Hub,
8 Aug. 2025
What tenebrous horror is this, emerging from the ineffable darkness?
—
Jon Chesto,
BostonGlobe.com,
26 Dec. 2022
By the same token, Spanish cinema at large has been reluctant to engage with that tenebrous period.
—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Dec. 2021
As in the 1610 version, Susanna is seated on a balustrade, but this time there is a tenebrous sky, rather than a clear blue one.
—
Rebecca Mead,
The New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2020
Natalie Erika James' assured first feature demonstrates bracing command of atmospherics, from its tenebrous visuals and labyrinthine production design to its nerve-jangling use of music and a thick soundscape stew of bumps, creaks, thuds and groans.
—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
27 Jan. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tenebrous
Adjective
-
She’s talked up her push to convert darkened streetlights, many of them stripped of their copper wire, to solar power.
-
In the darkened foyer, Ember contemplated this unassuming bit of paper, momentarily paralyzed by a mixture of dread and excitement stirred together, an overpowering sensation that oozed from the crown of her head, down the length of her body, then hardened, like a soft golden resin becoming solid.
Adjective
-
The top-of-the-line chef’s kitchen sports metallic cabinetry paired with dark marble countertops and backsplashes.
-
These include rolled or folded leaf blades, a dark or blue tinge to the foliage, or lingering footprints after walking on the lawn.
Adjective
-
The details remain murky, but the investment fund would be financed privately and not by US taxpayers, according to the administration.
-
For a predator that relies on sight and fast reaction distances in shallow water, murky conditions can alter the entire hunting landscape and prey may become harder to detect.
Adjective
-
The goofy sketch comedies and homemade spoofs that once filled his channel gradually disappeared, replaced by melancholy short films and bleak monologues.
-
Cher’s court documents paint a bleak picture of how Allman, 49, allegedly blows through his $120,000 annual trust distributions.
Adjective
-
The film breathes in a dynamic way, the last few beats taking a startling turn toward a somber wistfulness.
-
The hilltop De Smet Cemetery strikes a somber note.
Adjective
-
His lonely life away from friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) included sleeping under the stairs.
-
Thrown into the thick of a ballet season, the dancer explained that there wasn’t time to be lonely.
Adjective
-
Two-thirds of respondents afflicted with alpha-gal reported anxiety or depressive disorders in a 2025 University of Missouri survey.
-
There are four basic types of the disorder, which are characterized by periods of elation and hyperactivity known as manic episodes, which are then followed by depressive stages where the patient experiences feelings of sadness and depression.
Adjective
-
Wilderness Little Kulala is about a 45-minute drive outside the park, located in a seemingly desolate rocky plain with harsh, jagged mountains interspersed throughout the flatlands.
-
Most of the women disappeared between 2000 and 2010, and most of their remains were found on a desolate parkway not far from Long Island’s Gilgo Beach, some 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Manhattan.
Cite this Entry
“Tenebrous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tenebrous. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
