1
as in shadow
partial darkness due to the obstruction of light rays
the lunar eclipse began with a subtle darkening of the lunar surface as it passed within the Earth's penumbra
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in veil
something that covers or conceals like a piece of cloth
a penumbra of despair fell over the doomed city
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of penumbra
The partial outer shadow is called the penumbra; the full, dark shadow is the umbra.
—
Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026
For now, we’re held in the sweet penumbra of heaviness.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2025
During a partial solar eclipse, the umbra misses Earth, with only the penumbra — the moon's outer, fuzzier and lighter shadow — striking Earth.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
The umbra is a darker inner shadow and the penumbra is a fainter outer shadow, according to NASA.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penumbra
Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026
For now, we’re held in the sweet penumbra of heaviness.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2025
During a partial solar eclipse, the umbra misses Earth, with only the penumbra — the moon's outer, fuzzier and lighter shadow — striking Earth.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
The umbra is a darker inner shadow and the penumbra is a fainter outer shadow, according to NASA.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penumbra
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penumbra
Noun
-
Craters, shadows and rugged lunar terrain that were barely visible to the naked eye suddenly came alive in remarkable detail.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
15 May 2026
-
His new film Fatherland, like Cold War and Ida, is shot in a lustrous monochrome that turns shadows into punctuation marks and sunbeams into something holy, and that makes its performers, chief among them an incredible Sandra Hüller, look lit from within.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Two page boys earned their royal keep while carrying Meghan’s veil into the chapel.—
Nicole Briese,
PEOPLE,
19 May 2026
-
For much of the evening, Gaga sang with her back to the audience, her face shrouded by a hood or veil, as if to shun the spotlight.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Available in four neutral shades designed to hide beneath a sheer skirt, these easy-to-slip-on shorts will save you from any wardrobe malfunctions.—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
20 May 2026
-
Last month, Miami commissioners had a closed-door attorney-client session known as a shade meeting to discuss the pension lawsuit, indicating that a potential settlement was on the horizon.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
For the young man watching her, the dress becomes the shroud of his dream of infinite pleasure.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 May 2026
-
Graves are dug by hand and bodies are only buried in caskets or shrouds made of biodegradable materials like bamboo or cotton.—
Dorany Pineda,
Fortune,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
The aurora australis can be seen below as a stream of green and pink light hovering over our planet against the blackness of space.—
Chelsea Gohd,
Space.com,
15 May 2026
-
The activity is not unlike the way US and Soviet submarines tailed one another in the Cold War, but instead of running silent and running deep, highly reflective satellites easily stand out against the inky blackness of space.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
The kitchen includes a large island and a breakfast area close to a cloak and powder room nearby.—
Kaitlyn Keegan,
Hartford Courant,
12 May 2026
-
But now, at 31, the Drain Gang rapper still maintains a certain cloak of invisibility in the country.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Photographer Gary Hershorn captured a dazzling photo of Venus shining to the left of the crescent moon above the One World Trade Center on May 18, as the glow of dusk illuminated the New York City skyline.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
20 May 2026
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Volvo knows from experience that moose are serious traffic hazards, especially at dusk and dawn.—
Kristin Shaw,
ArsTechnica,
20 May 2026
Noun
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Brand’s love letter to Musk casts a pall on the rest of the book, under which the author’s indifference to politics becomes more difficult to ignore.—
Alec Nevala-Lee,
The Atlantic,
23 Apr. 2026
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The allegations have put a pall over the efforts of the Kenyan mission, which while not successful in returning security and stability to Haiti, has been credited with stopping the situation from completely collapsing.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Penumbra.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penumbra. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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