crepuscular
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or resembling twilight; dim; indistinct.
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Zoology. appearing or active in the twilight, as certain bats and insects.
adjective
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of or like twilight; dim
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(of certain insects, birds, and other animals) active at twilight or just before dawn
Etymology
Origin of crepuscular
First recorded in 1660–70; crepuscule + -ar 1
Explanation
The adjective crepuscular describes anything that's related to twilight, like the crepuscular glow of the dimming light on a lake as darkness falls. If the light outside is fading, you can call it crepuscular. Anything that resembles dusk, or happens at that time of day, is crepuscular, whether it's gloomy indoor light or the sky at twilight. Some animals are also crepuscular: they tend to be most active in the evening. The Latin root word says it all — crepusculum means "twilight."
Vocabulary lists containing crepuscular
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Nightjars are crepuscular ground-nesting birds meaning they emerge at twilight and can be seen hunting for food at dusk and dawn.
From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026
Jared A. Sayeg’s crepuscular lighting and Kate Bergh’s humanizing costumes lend contrast and texture to the world-building scenic design.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2026
The catalog’s full-page reproductions, in spectacular colors or crepuscular monochromes, are frequently transporting.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025
The first, for bass flute and electronics, establishes a crepuscular atmosphere with spare, breathy gestures that grow more ragged, as if on the run.
From New York Times • Feb. 2, 2023
Colonel Korn was an untidy disdainful man with an oily skin and deep, hard lines running almost straight down from his nose between his crepuscular jowls and his square, clefted chin.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
