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candlelight

American  
[kan-dl-lahyt] / ˈkæn dlˌlaɪt /

noun

  1. the light of a candle.

  2. a dim artificial light.

  3. twilight; dusk.

candlelight British  
/ ˈkændəlˌlaɪt /

noun

    1. the light from a candle or candles

      they ate by candlelight

    2. ( as modifier )

      a candlelight dinner

  2. dusk; evening

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of candlelight

before 1000; Middle English candel-liht, Old English candel-lēoht. See candle, light 1

Vocabulary lists containing candlelight

Spelling Practice 3, Unit 4

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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.

“Dark restaurants, candlelight, tablecloth restaurants, Sinatra music, that whole vibe of the ‘Italian restaurant’ lends itself well to romance, and spaghetti and meatballs just happen to be the most iconic ‘Italian’ dish.”

From Salon • Feb. 14, 2026

Nearby, St Philip's in the Hills Episcopal Church hosted a candlelight vigil for Nancy Guthrie, which many in the neighbourhood attended.

From BBC • Feb. 7, 2026

Families on Saturday night held candlelight vigils outside El Rodeo prison east of Caracas and El Helicoide, a notorious jail run by the intelligence services, holding signs with the names of their imprisoned relatives.

From Barron's • Jan. 11, 2026

At Bären Haus, a German restaurant downtown, Nicole Dunstan served a family of out-of-towners—among her few customers last week—who had spent four days in candlelight at a hotel.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 21, 2025

In the cave—I had not been there for weeks—I could see by candlelight all was as I had left it.

From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien

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.