Meaning & use
crepuscular
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a nounbiologytechnical
Describing an animal that is mainly active in the low light around sunrise and sunset.
Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: crepuscular animals, crepuscular habits.
Patterns
- crepuscular animals
- crepuscular behavior
Deer are crepuscular, so you are most likely to see them at dawn or dusk.
Many moths and bats show crepuscular habits and appear as the sky darkens.
The biologist set up cameras to study the crepuscular feeding of rabbits.
adjectivebefore a nounliterary
Relating to twilight, or having the dim, fading light of that time of day.
Grammar: Appears before a noun in descriptive writing: a crepuscular glow.
Patterns
- crepuscular light
- crepuscular gloom
A crepuscular glow settled over the empty harbor.
They walked home through the crepuscular streets as the lamps flickered on.
The old library had a crepuscular atmosphere even at midday.
Common combinations
- crepuscular animal
- The ocelot is a crepuscular animal that hunts in the half-light.
- crepuscular activity
- Crepuscular activity peaks about an hour after sunset.
- crepuscular light
- The crepuscular light turned the fields a soft gray.
- crepuscular hours
- Fishermen prize the crepuscular hours for the best catch.
- crepuscular gloom
- The crepuscular gloom of the forest made the children whisper.
Synonyms and how they differ
- twilight
- Twilight as an adjective is plainer and more general, while crepuscular is more technical and is the standard term for animals active at that time.
- dusky
- Dusky describes a dim or darkish look and does not refer to a time of day or animal behavior the way crepuscular does.
- dim
- Dim only says the light is weak, without tying it to dawn or dusk.
Opposites
Word family
- crepuscule noun
- twilight (rare, literary)
- crepuscularity noun
- the state of being crepuscular (rare, technical)
Commonly confused: crepuscular or nocturnal? crepuscular or diurnal?
crepuscular vs nocturnal
Nocturnal animals are active at night, while crepuscular animals are active at dawn and dusk.
crepuscular vs diurnal
Diurnal animals are active in daylight; crepuscular ones prefer the dim light on either side of it.
Practice
A zoologist says that foxes are mostly crepuscular. When would you most likely see them?
Choose one answer.
Crepuscular means active around dawn and dusk. Midday describes diurnal behavior and the middle of the night describes nocturnal behavior.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “crepuscular”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.