1
as in darkened
being without light or without much light
a tenebrous night with no moon
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2
as in dark
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer
in the midst of those tenebrous days Thomas Paine penned the immortal words "These are the times that try men's souls"
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Recent Examples of tenebrous
What tenebrous horror is this, emerging from the ineffable darkness?
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Jon Chesto, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Dec. 2022
By the same token, Spanish cinema at large has been reluctant to engage with that tenebrous period.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 30 Dec. 2021
As in the 1610 version, Susanna is seated on a balustrade, but this time there is a tenebrous sky, rather than a clear blue one.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2020
Natalie Erika James' assured first feature demonstrates bracing command of atmospherics, from its tenebrous visuals and labyrinthine production design to its nerve-jangling use of music and a thick soundscape stew of bumps, creaks, thuds and groans.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Jan. 2020
Jon Chesto, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Dec. 2022
By the same token, Spanish cinema at large has been reluctant to engage with that tenebrous period.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 30 Dec. 2021
As in the 1610 version, Susanna is seated on a balustrade, but this time there is a tenebrous sky, rather than a clear blue one.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2020
Natalie Erika James' assured first feature demonstrates bracing command of atmospherics, from its tenebrous visuals and labyrinthine production design to its nerve-jangling use of music and a thick soundscape stew of bumps, creaks, thuds and groans.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Jan. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tenebrous
Adjective
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TikTok's attorney suggested the app would basically go dark.WIRED, WIRED, 10 Jan. 2025
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Schaeffer, 22, was seen leaving her home on May 23, 2022, with her black-and-white cat, Izzy, and getting into a dark gray BMW that had been parked across the street for six hours, according to security video.Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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This six-episode Netflix series is taking on the murky world of health influencer culture—and what happened when a certain real-life influencer’s brand was built on a lie.Charley Ross, Glamour, 15 Jan. 2025
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As with most origin stories of football clubs that are a century and a half old, the truth of how Nottingham Forest came into being is slightly murky.Nick Miller, The Athletic, 15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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But beneath Pansy’s rage, often a source of that specific, bleak brand of Mike Leigh comedy, lies severe OCD, anxiety, depression, and the grief of having recently lost her mother.Radhika Seth, Vogue, 7 Jan. 2025
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While the art world has felt bleak amid a buckling market, a new art fair is gracing Los Angeles this year.Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The somber music should have been my first clue, but I was too wrapped up in the euphoria of Jane soon realizing that someone valued her life enough to save her from certain death.Lincee Ray, EW.com, 18 Jan. 2025
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When a photographer suggests that the family pose with a somber demeanor for a shot that will be featured in an article about Rubens’ disappearance, Eunice refuses, instructing her children to smile broadly.Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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But for now, Bannon is a fairly lonely voice shouting against AI velocity.Axios, Axios, 18 Jan. 2025
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Some suggested ways to make the dog feel less lonely when Lauren isn't home, such as leaving the TV on.John Mac Ghlionn, Newsweek, 14 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Without these, retirees may experience lower self-worth and a lack of purpose that makes depressive symptoms worse.John Mac Ghlionn, Newsweek, 14 Jan. 2025
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For every one-unit increase in a father's pre-birth well-being, the depressive symptom score was decreased by 1.2%.Kimanzi Constable, Parents, 9 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Compared to the desolate, almost alien landscape of South Dakota, the North Dakota badlands are flush with vibrant vegetation: Rocky Mountain juniper woodlands, cottonwoods that thrive in the Little Missouri River basin, and sunflowers, asters, and rabbitbrush that bloom in the late summer months.Erica Zazo, Outside Online, 9 Jan. 2025
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After the twinkling lights of the holiday season have been packed away, winter can feel downright dull and desolate, especially for families with energetic kids trapped inside by the cold.Erica Jackson Curran, Parents, 25 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The depressing part is that the smear campaign worked.Nicole Page, IndieWire, 6 Jan. 2025
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In October, Lilium was scrambling for additional investments to keep the doors open and by late December the company announced that the only people still on the payroll would be handling the depressing job of liquidation.David Szondy, New Atlas, 5 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Tenebrous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tenebrous. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
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