twilight

twilight — noun

1. the soft, dim light in the sky just after the sun goes down, before the night be

1.nounB1
Definition

the soft, dim light in the sky just after the sun goes down, before the night becomes fully dark

Example

Quan stood by the fence and watched twilight spread across the valley.

twilight as dim evening light before darkness

The old barn looked peaceful in the soft twilight of early evening.

Common collocations
  • at twilight
  • in the twilight
  • soft twilight
  • evening twilight
  • twilight sky
  • twilight hours
Synonyms
  • dusk

    focuses on the darker end of the transition, when details become hard to see

  • gloaming

    a poetic or literary term for the same period, with a romantic tone

  • evening

    a broader time range that includes twilight but extends later into the night

Antonyms
  • dawn

    the period of soft light in the morning, marking the start of day rather than its end

Grammar Patterns

at twilight

in the twilight

twilight of [period]

Usage Note

Use 'at twilight' to refer to the time of day ('The gates close at twilight'), and 'in the twilight' to describe the quality of the light itself ('The hills glowed in the twilight'). 'Dusk' is a near synonym but focuses more on the increasing darkness; 'twilight' emphasises the dim, soft light.

Common Mistakes

I went for a walk in twilight.
I went for a walk at twilight.
Use 'at twilight' when referring to the time period; use 'in the twilight' only when describing the light itself.

2. the last stage in the history of something, marked by a slow loss of power, infl

2.nounB2
Definition

the last stage in the history of something, marked by a slow loss of power, influence, or popularity

Example

The fall of the capital marked the twilight of the ancient dynasty.

twilight of [sth] = final weakening stage

Heather spent her twilight years teaching music in a small village.

collocation: twilight years

Common collocations
  • twilight of
  • twilight years
  • twilight days
  • in the twilight of
Synonyms
  • decline

    more direct and factual; 'twilight' is more metaphorical and literary

  • end

    neutral and final; 'twilight' suggests a gradual, drawn-out process before the end

  • sunset

    shares the light-metaphor but often implies a natural, dignified conclusion

Antonyms
  • dawn

    used metaphorically for the beginning or early flourishing of something

  • rise

    a period of increasing power or success

Grammar Patterns

the twilight of [something]

Usage Note

Almost always followed by 'of' to identify what is in decline, or used with 'years' or 'days' for the final period of a person's life or career. The metaphor draws on the fading light at the end of the day — the thing described is not yet gone, but its best time is over.

Common Mistakes

The twilight of his life was very happy.
The twilight of his career was difficult.
'Twilight' carries a sense of fading or decline; it is not a neutral term for 'later years.' Use it only when some loss of strength or importance is implied.

3. an unusual situation in which something belongs partly to one category and partl

3.nounC1
Definition

an unusual situation in which something belongs partly to one category and partly to another, making it difficult to describe or define exactly

Example

The novel takes place in a strange twilight zone between dreams and reality.

collocation: twilight zone

Yara lived in a twilight world, no longer a child but not yet an adult.

twilight world = intermediate state

Common collocations
  • twilight zone
  • twilight world
  • twilight state
  • twilight area
  • legal twilight
Synonyms
  • limbo

    suggests being stuck or forgotten in an uncertain state; stronger sense of helplessness

  • borderline

    more clinical or technical; less evocative than 'twilight'

  • grey area

    common collocation for moral or legal uncertainty; less mysterious in tone

Antonyms
  • certainty

    a state in which boundaries are clear

  • clarity

    an absence of ambiguity or confusion

Grammar Patterns

a twilight between [X] and [Y]

twilight zone/world/area

Usage Note

Often paired with 'zone' (popularised by the TV series 'The Twilight Zone') to label any ambiguous borderline situation in science, law, or psychology. Unlike senses 1 and 2, this sense does not refer to time or light — it describes a quality of uncertainty or in-betweenness.

Idioms

a/the twilight world (of something) | the twilight zone

idiom

A situation or place where things are unclear, mysterious, or hidden, often between two different states.

Maya felt she had entered the twilight world of spies and secret codes.

The novel explores the twilight zone between dreams and reality.

twilight — adjective

Word family

  • twilit
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Twilight refers to the period of soft, dim light after sunset but before full darkness, emphasising the quality of the light itself. Dusk focuses on the transition from day to night as a specific time of evening, often implying increasing darkness and the moment when things become hard to see. Sunset is the brief event when the sun disappears below the horizon, marked by bright colours in the sky — it lasts minutes, not the extended period that twilight covers. Gloaming is a poetic or literary term for the same period as twilight, carrying a romantic or nostalgic tone rarely used in everyday speech. To illustrate: 'They watched the sunset paint the sky orange, then stayed through the long twilight until dusk made the garden completely dark. In the gloaming, the world seemed to hold its breath.' While twilight is the most neutral and versatile term, 'dusk' works better for the contrast with dawn, and 'sunset' names the observable event rather than the ambient light.

twilight ↗dusk ↗sunset ↗gloaming

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • the twilight of [something]
  • in the twilight of [something]

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Twilight comes from Old English 'twēone' (meaning 'two' or 'between two') combined with 'lēoht' (light), literally 'half-light' or 'the light between' — referring to the time that sits between day and night. The word has been used in English since before the 12th century. Its metaphorical uses for decline and ambiguity developed later, drawing on the same core idea of a middle ground or transition.