half-light

noun

Definition of half-lightnext
as in shadows

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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 half-light Antarctica in mid-winter is bathed in a dusky half-light or shrouded in darkness, with the sun's orbit ensuring the warming rays no longer reach the icy landmass. — Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 June 2025 The play has a beautiful opening, in which a singer played by Georgia Heers appears in a hazy cone of half-light behind a golden curtain. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025 Start with a stripe down the middle, then mow in a figure eight to get that half-dark, half-light tuxedo look, or, my preferred method, loop around like a Zamboni until you're done. — CBS News, 1 May 2026 The courtyard of the Four Seasons Washington DC is hot in the late July half-light. — Nick Remsen, Vogue, 23 Aug. 2023 The world these characters inhabit, within an enclave of Flushing, Queens, is a place of in-between, captured in the evocative half-light of Norm Li’s cinematography, suggesting the cool-hot glow of the title’s blue sun. — Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 May 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for half-light
  1. shadows
  2. dark
  3. blackness
  4. twilight
  5. semidarkness
  6. candlelight
  7. dusk
  8. gloaming
Noun
  • Dark figures were darting through the shadows—Germans were carrying sacks and pillows to their building.
    — Vasily Grossman, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
  • Reflections, shadows and motion blur can all reduce detection confidence.
    — Freddy Kuo, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
Definition of shadows
Noun
  • Even an aggressive plaintiff would know that lingering past dark wouldn’t go over well in court.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 June 2026
  • News of a glow-in-the-dark Nike Air Foamposite Pro first materialized in November, with early reports of a Summit White/Black colorway enhanced with the glowing treatment.
    — Riley Jones, Footwear News, 30 June 2026
Definition of dark
Noun
  • Experts say that the biggest challenge at that extreme level of blackness is actually measuring it.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 June 2026
  • In the restaurant, my dad looked at me with the passionate conviction of a man who was confident in his Blackness and wanted nothing more than to pass it on.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 June 2026
Definition of blackness
Noun
  • Venus is still with us though, and is the brightest star-like object in the sky this month, popping out in the low western twilight very soon after sunset and slipping below the horizon not long after evening twilight ends.
    — Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 5 July 2026
  • However, nights remain short for observers in the northern hemisphere and lingering twilight could make auroras harder to spot.
    — Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of twilight
Noun
  • From its first painterly images, of the face of Meryl Streep, sad and tender and lovely in the semidarkness, the film declares its artistry, its sensitivity and its theme.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2023
  • Now, in the semidarkness and the throng of guests, all names seem somehow fluid, interchangeable, secondary.
    — Olga Tokarczuk, The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2021
Definition of semidarkness
Noun
  • The event featured a candlelight vigil, singing and speeches from community leaders.
    — Tyler Quattrin, Twin Cities, 7 July 2026
  • It was first written by Jefferson, largely by candlelight, over a period of 17 days.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 4 July 2026
Definition of candlelight
Noun
  • In the early evening, just before dusk, the sun peeks through the trees and warms the bench.
    — Staff Photographer, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • Each light fully charges in about five hours of direct sunlight, then automatically turns on at dusk and off at dawn for an effortless set-it-and-forget-it operation.
    — Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 July 2026
Definition of dusk
Noun
  • The mirror’s surface turned suddenly iridescent, like an oil slick beneath a gloaming.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 22 Jan. 2026
  • There is an excellent chance that one of the world’s two best golfers will be sliding his arms into a green jacket in the sweet gloaming of Sunday evening just outside the Augusta National clubhouse.
    — Jason Sobel, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
Definition of gloaming

Browse Nearby Words

half-lifes
half-light
halfpence
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Cite this Entry

“Half-light.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/half-light. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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