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dusk

noun · adjective · verb

Simple meaning

The time after the sun has set but when the sky is still lit by sunlight.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

duhsk
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈdʌsk

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. The time after the sun has set but when the sky is still lit by sunlight; the evening twilight period.

  2. The condition of being dusky; duskiness

  3. A darkish colour.

adjective

  1. Tending to darkness or blackness; moderately dark or black; dusky.

verb

  1. intransitive

    To begin to lose light or whiteness; to grow dusk.

  2. Become dusk

  3. transitive

    To make dusk.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C1 · Advanced
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: The time after the sun has set but when the sky is still lit by sunlight; the evening twilight period.

Used this way, dusk is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Time

early dusk

Begin

growing dusk

Other combinations

gathering duskdusk fell

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Related Words

Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.