1
as in darkened
being without light or without much light
a tenebrous night with no moon
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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"
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Recent Examples of tenebrous
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
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
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Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui posted a video to X over the weekend, showing a dazzling view of auroras spreading like a tall blanket over the darkened Earth below.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Over the weekend, around 16,000 people paid their respects to the designer at his funeral chamber at the Armani Teatro designed by Tadao Ando, filled with white flowers and paper lanterns on the floor in a diagonal grid formation dimly lit up the darkened venue.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
This part of Utah is known for its dark skies which makes for optimal stargazing.—
Brittany Anas,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
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Prior to Washington's intervention, Venezuela relied on dark fleet tankers to export its oil and most flows headed to China, a key market for bitumen-rich grades such as Merey.—
Weilun Soon Bloomberg,
Arkansas Online,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The reality is likely somewhere in the gray, murky middle.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
15 Jan. 2026
-
That much is clear, but even the obvious can get murky amid an 82-game season.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Her family later learned that on April 23, 2021 — the day Parker found his aunt in a bleak mood — Dee had an angry confrontation over financial issues with two employees of the trucking company.—
Christine Pelisek,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
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Some of Tarr’s most memorable scenes feature landscapes, often bleak and despairing settings of decaying Hungarian towns, punctuated with close-ups of characters’ faces.—
John Penner,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Dabis embraces the conventions of melodrama with sombre grace.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
14 Jan. 2026
-
The new teaser starts off serious and somber, much like the past trailers for Captain America, Thor and the X-Men, but then has a humorous moment when the Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) introduces himself to M’Baku (Winston Duke).—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The patient thriller finds Agnes lonely in her seedy motel, with a phone that often rings, though the person on the other end of the line never speaks.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Jan. 2026
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Namir Smallwood stars opposite Coon as Peter, a paranoid former soldier and mysterious drifter who meets her character Agnes, a lonely waitress.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Don’t mistake the depressive air for his own.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2026
-
The Austin, Texas, native is winding down work on the campaign trail for Blue Moon, directed by his longtime collaborator Richard Linklater and featuring his most transformative performance on screen, as the alcoholic depressive songwriter Lorenz Hart.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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After the twinkling lights of the holiday season have been packed away, winter can feel downright dull and desolate, especially for families with energetic kids trapped inside by the cold.—
Erica Jackson Curran,
Parents,
11 Jan. 2026
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Man on Fire tells the story of John Creasy, a high-functioning and skilled Special Forces Mercenary, known for surviving even the most desolate of situations.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tenebrous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tenebrous. Accessed 22 Jan. 2026.
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