Meanings
dusk1
adjectivedusk (comparative dusker, superlative duskest)
comparative dusker · superlative duskest
- Tending to darkness or blackness; moderately dark or black; dusky.
A pathless desert, dusk with horrid shades.
1671, John Milton, “The First Book”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC
noundusk (countable and uncountable, plural dusks)
plural dusks
- countableuncountableA darkish colour.
Whose dusk set off the whiteness of the skin.
1700, [John] Dryden, “Palamon and Arcite”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC
dusk2
verbdusk (third-person singular simple present dusks, present participle dusking, simple past and past participle dusked)
present singular third person dusks · participle present dusking · participle past dusked · past dusked
- intransitiveTo begin to lose light or whiteness; to grow dusk.
I see the air benighted And all the dusking dales, And lamps in England lighted,
1936, Alfred Edward Housman, More Poems, XXXIII, lines 25-27 - transitiveTo make dusk.
After the sun is up, that shadow which dusketh the light of the Moone must needs be under the earth.
1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “(please specify |book=I to XXXVII)”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the World. Commonly Called, The Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. […], (please specify |tome=1 or 2), London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe time after the sun has set but when the sky is still lit by sunlight; the evening twilight period.
Similar
antonym(s) of
Opposite
Opposite
Narrower
astronomical duskcivil dusknautical dusk
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe time of day immediately following sunset
Broader
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
dusk · adjective, noun
- Proto-Indo-European*dʰwes-
- Proto-Germanic*duskaz“dark, smoky”
- Old Englishdox“dark, swarthy”
- Middle Englishdosk, dusk(e)“dusky”
- Englishdusk
From Middle English dosk, dusk(e) (“dusky”, adj.), from Old English dox (“dark, swarthy”), from Proto-Germanic *duskaz (“dark, smoky”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰwes-, related to *dʰewh₂- (“smoke, mist, haze”). Cognate to Latin fuscus (“dark, dusky”), Sanskrit धूसर (dhūsara, “dust-colored”), Old Irish donn (“dark”). Related to dye, dust and dun (see these for more). Doublet of fuscous.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic
Full word history & related roots →dusk · verb
- Old Englishdoxian
- Middle Englishdusken
- Englishdusk
From Middle English dusken, from Old English doxian.
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek κνέφας
- κνέφας (knéphas)period of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
Arabic عِشَاء, غَسَق
- عِشَاء (ʕišāʔ)period of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- غَسَق (ḡasaq)period of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- يَغْسِق (yaḡsiq)to grow dusk
- يَعْتِم (yaʕtim)to grow dusk
Basque ilunabar, ilunabartu
- ilunabarperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- ilunabartuto grow dusk
Bulgarian здрач, сумрак
- здрач (zdrač)period of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- сумрак (sumrak)period of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- привечер (privečer)period of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- смрачава се (smračava se)to grow dusk
Catalan crepuscle, capvespre
- crepuscleperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- capvespreperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
Chinese Cantonese 黃昏 /黄昏
- 黃昏 /黄昏 (wong⁴ fan¹)period of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
Chinese Mandarin 黃昏 /黄昏, 曫 /𬁢
- 黃昏 /黄昏 (huánghūn)period of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- 曫 /𬁢 (luán)period of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
Czech soumrak
- soumrakperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
Danish skumring, skumre
- skumringperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- skumreto grow dusk
Dutch schemering, avondschemering
- schemeringperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- avondschemeringperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
Esperanto vesperiĝo, vespera krepusko
- vesperiĝoperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- vespera krepuskoperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
Estonian eha
- ehaperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
Finnish iltahämärä, illansuu
- iltahämäräperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- illansuuperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- hämärtääto grow dusk
- hämärtyäto grow dusk
- pimetäto grow dusk
French crépuscule, entre chien et loup
- crépusculeperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- entre chien et loupperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
German Abenddämmerung, dunkeln
- Abenddämmerungperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- dunkelnto grow dusk
Hebrew בֵּין עַרְבַּייִם
- בֵּין עַרְבַּייִם (bein arbáim)period of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
Hindi गोधूलि
- गोधूलि (godhūli)period of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
Hungarian alkony, szürkület
- alkonyperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- szürkületperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- esthajnalperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
Icelandic ljósaskipti, húm
- ljósaskiptiperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- húmperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- rökkurperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- rökkvato grow dusk
- húmato grow dusk
- dimmato grow dusk
Indonesian senja, sore
- senjaperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- soreperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
Irish coineascar, clapsholas
- coineascarperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- clapsholasperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- titim na hoícheperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
Italian crepuscolo, tramonto
- crepuscoloperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- tramontoperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- tramontareto grow dusk
- crepuscolareto grow dusk
Japanese 夕暮れ, 黄昏
- 夕暮れperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- 黄昏period of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
Korean 땅거미
- 땅거미 (ttanggeomi)period of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
Latin crepusculum
- crepusculumperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
Latvian krēsla, krēslot
- krēslaperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- krēslotto grow dusk
Lithuanian sutemos
- sutemosperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
Māori māpouriki, pōrehurehu
- māpourikiperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- pōrehurehuperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
Norwegian skumring, skumre
- skumringperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- skumreto grow dusk
Persian شامگاه
- شامگاه (šâmgâh)period of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
Polish zmierzch, zmrok
- zmierzchperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- zmrokperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
Portuguese pôr do sol, crepúsculo
- pôr do solperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- crepúsculoperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- ocasoperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- anoitecerperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
Romanian crepuscul, apus
- crepusculperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- apusperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- amurgperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- înserato grow dusk
- amurgito grow dusk
Russian су́мерки
- су́мерки (súmerki)period of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
Scottish Gaelic ciaradh
- ciaradhperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
Spanish anochecer, crepúsculo/lubricán vespertino
- anochecerperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- crepúsculo/lubricán vespertinoperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- atardecerperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- oscurecerperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- obscurecerperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- anochecidaperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- anochecidoperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- atardecidaperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- anochecerto grow dusk
- atardecerto grow dusk
- tardecerto grow dusk
- lobreguecerto grow dusk
Swedish skymning, skymma
- skymningperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
- skymmato grow dusk
Tagalog takipsilim
- takipsilimperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
Tamil பட்டபோது
- பட்டபோது (paṭṭapōtu)period of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
Turkish alacakaranlık
- alacakaranlıkperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
Ukrainian су́тінки
- су́тінки (sútinky)period of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
Vietnamese chạng vạng
- chạng vạngperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
Welsh llwydnos
- llwydnosperiod of time at the end of day when sun is below the horizon but before full onset of night
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with dusk
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
dusk. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dusk
MLA
“dusk.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dusk. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dusk,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dusk.
Source: dusk on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.