tenebrous

American  

[ten-uh-bruhs] / ˈtɛn ə brəs /

Also tenebrious

adjective

1. dark; gloomy; obscure.

---

tenebrous British  

/ ˌtɛnəˈbrɒsɪtɪ, təˈnɛbrɪəs, ˈtɛnəbrəs /

adjective

1. gloomy, shadowy, or dark

---

Other Word Forms

• tenebrosity noun
• tenebrousness noun
• untenebrous adjective

Etymology

Origin of tenebrous

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English word from Latin word tenebrōsus. See Tenebrae, -ous

Explanation

Tenebrous means dark and shadowy. Your big, spooky house with its long, tenebrous passageways and dark corners would be a perfect place to have a Halloween party. The adjective tenebrous is a perfect way to describe something that's dark and creepy, like a weirdly shadowed room in a castle or a gloomy cave. You can also use tenebrous to talk about things that are figuratively dark, or obscure, like a tenebrous deal made between a city's mayor and the Mafia. The Latin root word, tenebrosus, simply means "darkness."

Example Sentences

By the same token, Spanish cinema at large has been reluctant to engage with that tenebrous period.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 30, 2021

In Farber’s production, bathed in Tim Lutkin’s tenebrous lighting, a skeletal outline of the mission revolves on a carousel.

From New York Times • Jul. 5, 2020

The shadowing is more tightly contained in Hsin-Hsi Chen’s intricate paper sculptures, whose multi-planar surfaces are covered with tenebrous graphite, charcoal, ink and paint.

From Washington Post • Mar. 29, 2019

As I played, it made me think of all the aquariums I’ve visited, places of mystery and tenebrous beauty more alien than anything sprung from a filmmaker’s imagination.

From Time • Aug. 2, 2016

She cannot persuade Felicia to take off her nightgown, to allow light in the tenebrous house.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García