What does "daylight" mean?

1. (natural light) the natural light from the sun that you see during the day. 2. (daytime) the period of time between the morning and the evening when it is light outside. 3. (a clear difference) a clear and obvious difference between two people, ideas, or things. 4. (to provide natural light) to design a building so that natural light can get inside.

daylight — meaning, definition & examples

Word

01natural light

A2 · Elementary Uncountable noun

n. the natural light from the sun that you see during the day.

n. the natural light of day, consisting of direct and indirect sunlight.

“The artist preferred to paint in natural daylight rather than using electric lamps.”

“The large windows were designed to maximise the amount of daylight entering the gallery, reducing the need for artificial illumination during the summer months.”

Synonyms

sunlightdaytime light

Antonyms

darknesslamplight

02daytime

B1 · Intermediate Uncountable noun

n. the period of time between the morning and the evening when it is light outside.

n. the period of time between sunrise and sunset.

“We need to finish the roof while we still have enough daylight left.”

“The rescue team worked through the remaining hours of daylight, knowing that the search would become significantly more difficult after dusk.”

Synonyms

daytime day

Antonyms

night nighttime

03a clear difference

C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Informal

n. a clear and obvious difference between two people, ideas, or things.

n. a noticeable or significant difference, distance, or disagreement between two entities or concepts.

“There is a lot of daylight between the two political parties on this issue.”

“The latest polls suggest there is now considerable daylight between the leading candidate and her closest rival, making an upset unlikely.”

Synonyms

gap difference distance

Antonyms

similarity agreement

04to provide natural light

C2 · Proficiency Architecture Technical

v. to design a building so that natural light can get inside.

v. to provide a space with natural light through the strategic placement of windows or skylights.

“The architects decided to daylight the basement by adding a glass ceiling.”

“By daylighting the interior atrium, the design team significantly improved the well-being of the office workers and reduced the building's energy consumption.”

Synonyms

illuminate

From Middle English daye-lighte, dey liȝht, dailiȝt, day-liht, dai-liht (also as days lyȝt, daies liht), equivalent to day + light. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Deegeslucht, Daisljoacht (“daylight”), West Frisian deiljocht (“daylight”), Dutch daglicht (“daylight”), German Tageslicht (“daylight”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.