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tenebrous

adjective

ˈte-nə-brəs How to pronounce tenebrous (audio)
Definition of tenebrousnext
1
as in darkened
being without light or without much light a tenebrous night with no moon

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tenebrous
  1. darkened
  2. dark
  3. murky
  4. bleak
  5. somber
  6. lonely
  7. depressive
  8. desolate
Adjective
  • Around them stand darkened houses, and uncollected trash piles up on the street.
    — Will Freeman, Foreign Affairs, 17 Sep. 2026
  • This trend has been pretty pervasive among designer bags recently, with shoppers buying new Prada and Chanel bags with darkened leather to give them a used look, or sourcing vintage Celine bags with obvious signs of wear.
    — Irene Richardson, InStyle, 2 July 2026
Definition of darkened
Adjective
  • For serious gear collectors tired of pocket clutter and dark backpack voids, this clever mobile workstation is a genuinely smart, highly functional evolution.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Nothing hits quite like a pair of $39 Levi’s jeans, and this perfectly stretchy, dark-wash option is just what the doctor ordered.
    — Annie Blackman, InStyle, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of dark
Adjective
  • Light takes on an ethereal glow and colors blend into murky browns and blacks.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026
  • But that failed, too, leaving a murky path for Henderson, whose cancer was so rare the World Health Organization had only given it a name in 2021.
    — Arthur Allen, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of murky
Adjective
  • Shane Beamer's future looks bleak after Gamecocks blew a 16-0 lead against Mississippi State and lost their sixth straight SEC game.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026
  • In this rain and stiff wind, under a dark sky, from one bleak port to another.
    — Paul Theroux, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of bleak
Adjective
  • Many social media users suggested Pearman may have missed the point of the somber experience of visiting a living memorial where one of history’s greatest atrocities occurred.
    — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 25 Sep. 2026
  • On Thursday, members of The Times editorial staff gathered to celebrate Swed, but the mood was somewhat somber.
    — Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of somber
Adjective
  • The story follows Bobi, a 12-year-old boy born with literal dog’s paws, hidden away by his family until Carlos, a lonely, childless man, takes him in.
    — Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 29 Sep. 2026
  • From screenwriter Eric Champnella and set in 2008, Return to You follows a powerful but lonely female attorney (Lohan) who mistakenly receives a very emotional DVD sent by a dying woman to her husband (Golding).
    — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of lonely
Adjective
  • Studies that followed African American adolescents and Latino/a adolescents have found a link between experiences of discrimination and depressive symptoms that linger years later.
    — Anahi Collado, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Research has found that low serotonin levels could lead to the return of clinically significant depressive symptoms in people who have depression.
    — Amber Raiken, Verywell Health, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of depressive
Adjective
  • With its fragile acoustic melodies, desolate lyrics, and spare, subtle studio accompaniment, Ride Lonesome is like Nick Drake’s mumble-folk masterpiece Bryter Layter as the work of a lovelorn Laurel Canyon soft-rock poet.
    — Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Making matters worse, those same neighborhoods are some of the city’s most desolate transit deserts.
    — Al Sharpton, New York Daily News, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of desolate

Browse Nearby Words

tenebrific
tenebrous
tenement
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Cite this Entry

“Tenebrous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tenebrous. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

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