sunless

American

[suhn-lis] / ˈsʌn lɪs /

adjective

lacking sun or sunlight; dark.

a sunless room.
dismal; gloomy; cheerless.

a sunless smile.

sunless British

/ ˈsʌnlɪs /

adjective

without sun or sunshine
gloomy; depressing

"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

Other Word Forms

sunlessly adverb
sunlessness noun

Etymology

Origin of sunless

First recorded in 1580–90; sun + -less

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.

Aberdeen recorded no sunshine for 14 days from 22 January - provisionally the longest sunless spell on record for the city.

From BBC • Feb. 7, 2026

Shifting between naturalistic camerawork and static shots of uncanny landscapes and sunless skies, the film zooms in on Agnes’s deteriorating psychological state with minimal dialogue.

From New York Times • Jun. 20, 2024

But ceremony organizers in Olympia hold several rehearsals in the days leading up to the official lighting, which provide a backup flame should the big day prove sunless.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 15, 2024

Their red color, when absorbed in the sunless deep, fades into a brownish black, blending them into their surroundings.

From National Geographic • Feb. 13, 2024

Every one of them was chalky pale, the palest of all the students living in this sunless town.

From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023