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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.

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

I even wrote my diary entries by candlelight.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026

Where her vision clears, she’s in a hall lit by candlelight and crystal chandeliers draped in pearls, dressed in an iridescent gown and jewels evocative of the decade’s New Romantic style.

From Salon • Jan. 24, 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

The stars on the table almost seem to move in the undulating candlelight.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

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.