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

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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
  • 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
  • She’s talked up her push to convert darkened streetlights, many of them stripped of their copper wire, to solar power.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026
Definition of darkened
Adjective
  • Things take a dark turn, however, after a series of unexplainable deaths draw Hal and John to a small town in Nebraska.
    — Matt Minton, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Way back in 2012, Supreme collaborated on another Air Force 1 with a dark green camo canvas upper, box logo hangtag and gum outsole that can hit the $1,000 range on resale platforms.
    — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of dark
Adjective
  • But in the world of online streaming, the business of running a record label or record label business has gotten a lot murkier.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Its other requirements for induction, however, are a bit murky.
    — Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of murky
Adjective
  • But some analysts forecast a bleak future for Democrats in the right-leaning district.
    — Annie Martin, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The Herons' chances of advancing were already bleak after entering the match 12th in the MLS standings following their loss to Monterrey.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of bleak
Adjective
  • For the past four decades, July was always a somber month for the McDonalds, a reminder of the moment that changed their family's lives.
    — Ali Bauman, CBS News, 31 July 2026
  • Less than two months after her historic victory to become Japan’s first female prime minister, Takaichi Sanae stood before a bank of microphones and opposition lawmakers, looking somber.
    — Ann Scott Tyson, Christian Science Monitor, 29 July 2026
Definition of somber
Adjective
  • What brought him back to this sad, lonely spot after an entire decade?
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Cycle north along the beach to Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park, where hiking trails, lonely sands, picnic sites, and kayak rentals fronting a freshwater lake await.
    — Terry Ward, Travel + Leisure, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of lonely
Adjective
  • Most women with postpartum psychosis develop manic and depressive symptoms that can come close together or overlap.
    — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
  • In a 2025 study of older parents, being cut off from an adult child was associated with poorer well-being and a reduced sense of purpose, as well as greater depressive symptoms.
    — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of depressive
Adjective
  • The desolate landscape and little human occupation thereafter helped preserve the rock art through centuries of exposure to wind, rain, and sun.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Aug. 2026
  • In July 1991, Gerard Dorsey was gunned down in an alley off North Brice Street in a desolate West Baltimore alley.
    — Mike Hellgren, CBS News, 5 Aug. 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 20 Aug. 2026.

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