Skip to main content
underlit

underlit

1 5.3
Not having enough light so things look dark
  • adjective
  • /ˌʌndərˈlɪt/
: poco iluminado
  • As they walked through the underlit alley, they felt a sense of unease due to the dim lighting.

These are a little more dated looking, but again, you know, this complete lack of perfection in terms of lighting their underlit or, you know, high contrast.

Examples

  • She walked through the underlit alley, feeling a little uneasy.

  • The painting looked dull in the underlit gallery room.

  • The restaurant was so underlit that it was hard to read the menu.

  • The room was too underlit for the meeting.

  • I find the underlit corners of the house quite eerie.

  • The underlit room made it difficult to see the details of the painting on the wall.

  • Many of the photographs from the event appear underlit, leaving them too dark to appreciate.

Synonyms

dark
vsunderlit
∞ 1.0

With little or no light and not bright

focuses on insufficient light that makes things look dim rather than total darkness
dim
vsunderlit
74 1.0

Not bright and having only a little light

means lacking enough light so things look dark rather than only faint
gloomy
vsunderlit
22 2.3

Dark and not well lit so a place feels sad

is about lacking enough light without implying a depressing mood
unlit
vsunderlit
7 2.7

Without any light or not burning

lacks enough light so objects appear dark or dim
dimmed
vsunderlit
4 2.5

Less bright when someone turns the light down

is about not having enough light rather than brightness being reduced
lightless
vsunderlit
2 5.1

Completely dark so you cannot see anything

refers to not having enough light rather than absolute absence
unlighted
vsunderlit
1 6.3

A street or area that is dark because no lamps are on

lacks enough light so objects appear dark or dim
semidark
vsunderlit
1 5.1

Partly dark with only a little light

lacks enough light so objects appear dark or dim
unilluminated
vsunderlit
1 7.3

Not lit and dark

lacks enough light so objects appear dark or dim

Antonyms

510 1.0

Full of strong light that makes a place easy to see

How Bright

bright
257 1.0
lit
171 1.0
underlit
1 5.3
dark
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

underlit positive

Morphology

underlit = light (transparent) = under + light + lit

Composed of 'under-' meaning 'insufficient' + 'lit' (illuminated), giving the straightforward sense 'not sufficiently lit'.

Etymology

Underlit comes from under ('not enough' or 'below') + lit ('with light'), so it can mean 'not lit enough'. That's why an underlit room or street looks dark and makes it hard to see or read things.