11+ words for light and dark
The smallest group: words for light, shadow and the moods they bring. Gleam, glimmer, shimmer and glisten all describe light, but each one shines differently. Some, like sombre and ominous, describe a mood as much as how bright it is.
There are 23 words here: 11 describing words, 7 doing words, 4 naming words and 1 other. Each has its meaning, an example sentence and similar words. Tap a word for its opposites and a practice question.
Describing words (adjectives)11
- dingy
- Dark, dirty and a little gloomy.
- The dingy waiting room had grey walls and one weak lamp that barely lit the corner.
- Similar: grimy, drab, gloomy
- dismal
- Dull, gloomy and miserable.
- It was a dismal afternoon: grey skies, cold drizzle and nothing to do indoors.
- Similar: gloomy, grey, dull
- gloomy
- Dark, dull and a little sad.
- The gloomy corridor had no windows, and our footsteps echoed in the half-dark.
- Similar: dark, dull, sad
- indistinct
- Not clear enough to see or hear properly.
- Through the fog, the lighthouse was an indistinct grey smudge.
- Similar: blurry, fuzzy, faint
- luminous
- Giving off light, or glowing brightly.
- The cave was full of luminous mushrooms that lit the path like lanterns.
- Similar: glowing, bright, radiant
- mellow
- Soft, gentle and relaxed.
- The mellow evening light turned the fields gold as the friends ambled home.
- Similar: soft, gentle, calm
- murky
- Dark, dirty and hard to see through.
- They could not see the bottom of the murky pond, only swirling brown water.
- Similar: cloudy, dark, dim
- ominous
- Giving you a worrying feeling that something bad is about to happen.
- Ominous black clouds gathered over the pitch just before the final match began.
- Similar: threatening, scary, dark
- opaque
- Impossible to see through.
- The bathroom window is opaque, so nobody outside can see in at all.
- Similar: murky, cloudy
- radiant
- Shining brightly, or glowing with happiness.
- The bride's radiant smile lit up the whole marquee.
- Similar: glowing, bright, beaming
- sombre
- Dark, dull and serious in mood or colour.
- Everyone wore sombre grey coats, and nobody spoke above a whisper.
- Similar: gloomy, dark, serious
Doing words (verbs)7
- dazzle
- To amaze someone with bright light or brilliance.
- The fireworks dazzled the crowd, so bright that everyone had to shield their eyes.
- Similar: amaze, blind, stun
- gleam
- To shine softly with light.
- The polished trophies gleamed on the shelf in the afternoon sun.
- Similar: shine, glow, sparkle
- glisten
- To shine and sparkle, often because something is wet.
- The morning dew glistened on the spider's web like a string of tiny diamonds.
- Similar: sparkle, shine, gleam
- ignite
- To set something on fire or make it start burning.
- One spark from the campfire was enough to ignite the dry leaves.
- Similar: light, burn, spark
- illuminate
- To light something up.
- The fireworks illuminated the night sky, turning it bright as day.
- Similar: light, brighten
- kindle
- To start a fire, or to stir up a feeling.
- The scout used dry twigs to kindle a small flame, and soon the campfire crackled.
- Similar: light, spark, start
- shimmer
- To shine with a soft light that seems to tremble.
- The sea shimmered like silver under the summer moon.
- Similar: gleam, glow, sparkle
Naming words (nouns)4
- beacon
- A light or fire used as a signal that can be seen from far away.
- The lighthouse beacon flashed through the storm, guiding the ships safely home.
- Similar: signal, light, guide
- inferno
- A huge, fierce fire that is out of control.
- Firefighters battled the inferno as flames leapt higher than the rooftops.
- Similar: blaze, fire, flames
- phantom
- A ghost, or something that seems real but is not.
- Legend says a phantom drifts through the castle halls at midnight and vanishes at dawn.
- Similar: ghost, spirit, spook
- twilight
- The soft, dim light just after the sun goes down.
- At twilight, the bats flickered out of the barn into the fading purple sky.
- Similar: dusk, evening, sunset
More words1
- glimmer
- To shine with a faint, unsteady light; or that faint light.
- Far across the dark bay, the lights of the harbour glimmered like tiny candles.
- Similar: twinkle, shine, glow