tenebrous

American  

[ten-uh-bruhs] / ˈtɛn ə brəs /

Also tenebrious

adjective

1. dark; gloomy; obscure.

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tenebrous British  

/ ˌtɛnəˈbrɒsɪtɪ, təˈnɛbrɪəs, ˈtɛnəbrəs /

adjective

1. gloomy, shadowy, or dark

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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

“From the 1960s to the 1980s, Hollywood films were remade for Turkish audiences, replacing Western concepts with ones more appropriate for a Turkish audience,” explained Ms. Hutchinson, who uses the nom de cinéma Tenebrous Kate.

From New York Times • Sep. 4, 2014