tenebrism

noun

ten·​e·​brism ˈte-nə-ˌbri-zəm How to pronounce tenebrism (audio)
variants often Tenebrism
: a style of painting especially associated with the Italian painter Caravaggio and his followers in which most of the figures are engulfed in shadow but some are dramatically illuminated by a beam of light usually from an identifiable source
tenebrist noun or adjective
often Tenebrist

Word History

Etymology

probably borrowed from Italian tenebrismo, from tenebroso tenebrous + -ism -ism

First Known Use

1954, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tenebrism was in 1954

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Cite this Entry

“Tenebrism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tenebrism. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

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