# twilight

/ˈtwaɪˌɫaɪt/ (US) · /twˈaɪlaɪt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/twilight
Updated: 2026-05-02

## Senses

### 1. time of day

noun · CEFR B2

the time of day when the sun is below the horizon and the sky is starting to get dark.

For teachers: the period of time between daylight and darkness, specifically when the sun is below the horizon but its rays still illuminate the atmosphere.

- We went for a walk in the garden during the long summer twilight.
- The hikers struggled to find the trail markers in the deepening twilight, eventually deciding to set up camp before total darkness fell.

### 2. faint light

noun · CEFR B2

the soft, dim light that you see in the sky just after the sun goes down.

For teachers: the diffused light from the sky during the period before sunrise or after sunset.

- The mountains looked purple in the soft twilight of the evening.
- The photographer captured the cathedral's silhouette against the ethereal twilight, using a long exposure to pull detail from the shadows.

### 3. a final period

noun · CEFR C1 · Literary

the final part of something, like a career or a period of history, when it is starting to fade.

For teachers: a period of decline or the final stages of something once great or powerful.

- The famous actor spent the twilight of his life living quietly by the sea.
- In the twilight of the empire, administrative corruption and economic instability became increasingly difficult for the central government to manage.

### 4. dimly lit

adjective · CEFR C1 · Literary

describing something that is dimly lit or related to the time of dusk.

For teachers: pertaining to or resembling the light conditions of dusk; often used to describe obscure or intermediate states.

- They sat in the twilight room, watching the shadows grow longer on the wall.
- The novel explores the twilight world of international espionage, where loyalties are never clear and the truth is always obscured.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.