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Glite Dictionary
bad light

bad light

2 3.9
Poor lighting that makes it hard to see
  • noun
translation icon : mala iluminación
  • The poor visibility due to bad light made driving home challenging.

Examples

  • She found him drifting, one hand holding him steady, the long frail body looking worn out in the bad light.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • With the heavy rain and the bad light... ...it's very difficult to catch them.

    The Beach (2000)

  • In the bad light of the stairway, Sara looked pale and puffy.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • The Pollard affair placed American Jewry in a bad light and led to serious emotional stress and insecurity.

    Academic text (1996)

  • It was hard to see the ball in the bad light during the evening game.

  • She struggled to read the fine print because of the bad light in the room.

Synonyms

lowlight
vsbad light
4.6

A place or time with very little light

is about lighting that makes seeing or continuing activities difficult
duskiness
vsbad light
7.2

A low level of light, like at sunset

is about lighting so poor it prevents clear sight and normal activity

How Bright

bright
459 1.0
bad light
2 3.9
darkness
534 1.0

Surface Forms

bad light singular
bad lights plural

Morphology

bad + light

The phrase is a simple adjective + noun composition: 'bad' (poor) modifying 'light' (illumination), which directly yields the meaning 'poor lighting'. This is a fully compositional, cross-linguistically common pattern that a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer.

Etymology

Bad light comes from the simple image of light becoming weak or low as evening comes, so it is bad for seeing. That's why people use bad light to mean 'poor lighting' or when it is 'hard to see' and you should stop work or a game.