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half-light

half-light

4 6.7
A soft dim glow when things are only partly seen, like at dawn or dusk
  • noun
  • /ˈhæfˌlaɪt/
translation icon : semiluz
  • So Ethold stood in the half-light of a dimmed miner's torch and waited.

Examples

  • His face was ruddy in the half-light of the bar.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • A dark stain that looked black in the half-light began to spread.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • What are we doing sitting here in the half-light?

  • Without another word, Frank turned and led him into the watery half-light of the back room.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • The following night, they sat in the half-light that flickered from the screen above them.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The water looked dark and oily in the half-light of dawn.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • His white teeth shone in the half-light of the car's interior.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Looking at her in the half-light, he realizes she will soon be prettier than her mother.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • The mist has begun to dissipate in the half-light of false dawn.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • They walked hand in hand through the soft half-light of the early morning.

Synonyms

candlelight
vshalf-light
61 2.0

Soft light from a burning candle that makes a room feel warm

is ambient dawn or dusk light rather than flame-produced light
lamplight
vshalf-light
8 2.8

Light that comes from a lamp

is naturally occurring soft light at times of day rather than lamp light
dim glow
vshalf-light
1 2.6

A soft, low light that is not very bright

is the soft light at dawn, dusk, or in faint interiors
semidarkness
vshalf-light
1 4.4

Low light when a place is partly dark

is the gentle twilight light rather than mainly dark conditions
moonglow
vshalf-light
1 4.8

A soft pale light like the moon

is broader twilight light, not only moonlike or celestial light
glim
vshalf-light
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A faint light from an old lamp that helps you see in the dark

is the modern time-of-day soft light rather than an archaic lamp term
duskiness
vshalf-light
7.2

A low level of light, like at sunset

is the soft time-of-day light rather than any general dimness
lowlight
vshalf-light
4.6

A place or time with very little light

is the milder, twilight light rather than extremely low light

How Bright

daylight
294 1.0
half-light
4 6.7
gloom
20 3.6
darkness
534 1.0

Surface Forms

half-light singular
half-lights plural

Morphology

half-light = half + light (transparent) = half + light

A straightforward compound of 'half' + 'light' meaning 'partial or dim light', which learners can derive from the components.

Etymology

Half-light comes from half ('part') and light ('what makes things visible'), so it literally means a time or place that is only partly lit, like the soft glow you see at dawn or dusk.