umbra

noun

ˈəm-brə How to pronounce umbra (audio)
Definition of umbranext
1
as in shadows
a time or place of little or no light strange noises were coming from the wooded umbra beyond our campfire

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shadow
partial darkness due to the obstruction of light rays during a solar eclipse observers located within the umbra experience a complete blocking of the sun by the moon

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 umbra The Earth's shadow, called an umbra, is cast across the moon’s surface, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. — Saleen Martin, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026 For a few fleeting minutes, observers inside the moon’s dark central shadow — the umbra — will see the sun completely covered, revealing the spectacular solar corona and plunging landscapes into an eerie twilight. — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026 The full eclipse, or totality, begins when the moon moves completely into the umbra, turning its usually white surface a dim reddish-orange. — Stefanie Waldek, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Mar. 2026 The part of the moon inside the umbra appears very dark. — Isa Almeida, Oklahoman, 2 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for umbra
Recent Examples of Synonyms for umbra
  1. shadows
  2. shadow
  3. dark
  4. shade
  5. darkness
  6. dusk
  7. black
  8. blackness
Noun
  • Depending on the time of day and the weather, visitors will see these spaces under different light and cast with varying shadows.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The diagrid also casts cool shadows that shift as the day goes by.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of shadows
Noun
  • After crossing southern Spain, the moon’s shadow will race east across Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt before crossing the Red Sea into Saudi Arabia and Yemen, and continuing across Somalia and into the Indian Ocean.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Models stormed the runway with high-brow shadow, crafted by Dick Page, using bright greasepaints and theatrical colors.
    — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of shadow
Noun
  • For his safety, the former water treatment plant operator isn’t supposed to be on the dock after dark.
    — Natasha Holt, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Nearly everyone wore black, with plenty of tattoos, webbed, sheer textured layers and sunglasses worn well after dark.
    — Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of dark
Noun
  • Commenters on both Babsky and Johnson's makeup artist Georgie Eisdel’s Instagram posts begged the artists to share shade details.
    — Kara Nesvig, Allure, 8 Oct. 2026
  • At Dior, artist Ama Quashie mismatched red and burgundy on hands and feet using Dior Vernis in a deep oxblood 047 Nuit shade on nails and cherry 853 Rouge Trafalgar on toes.
    — Arden Fanning Andrews, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of shade
Noun
  • His films have so far ended in darkness, offering only the belief that light might exist somewhere ahead.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
  • At that point, the film pivots to a more surreal register, presenting bright, clear skies that are slowly, eerily engulfed in darkness.
    — Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of darkness
Noun
  • Driving down the grand driveway at dusk in the signature gold Bentley with your new spouse.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Oct. 2026
  • One of the best ways to avoid being bitten by a shark is to stay out of the water at dawn or dusk, according to experts with the International Shark Attack File.
    — Natasha Holt, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of dusk
Noun
  • The pieces also follow the designers’ evolution from the straightforward blacks to use of color to increasingly sculptural shapes.
    — Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • He was dressed like a director, in blacks and blues—jeans, baseball cap, puffer coat, Hokas—but spoke and moved at the unhurried pace of a novelist, his original vocation.
    — E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of black
Noun
  • Nori of a perfect blackness, death-like, without the green glints of more common seaweed.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The surf was raging, completely enveloping the craft with only the swaying masts visible in the blackness of the night.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of blackness

Browse Nearby Words

ululating
umbra
umbrage
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Cite this Entry

“Umbra.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/umbra. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on umbra

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about umbra

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