moonlight
noun · verb
Simple meaning
The light reflected from the Moon.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
moonlytSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈmunlaɪt
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.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
sometimes attributive
The light reflected from the Moon (which seems as if it emanates from it).
verb
To work on the side (at a secondary job), often in the evening or during the night.
by extensionof an inanimate object
To perform a secondary function substantially different from its supposed primary function, as in protein moonlighting.
by extension
To engage in an activity other than what one is known for.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To work on the side (at a secondary job), often in the evening or during the night.
Used this way, moonlight 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
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use moonlight
- “The law student is moonlighting as a taxi driver.”verb
- “Moonlight is the smuggler's enemy.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: light reflected from the Moon (which seems as if it emanates from it)
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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.