sunless

adjective

ˈsən-ləs How to pronounce sunless (audio)
Definition of sunlessnext
as in dark
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer mental patients who were once condemned to spend their lives in the sunless confines of a state asylum

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sunless To avoid a rash, reduce other risks of tanning, and protect your overall skin health, consider switching to a sunless self-tanner. — Carrie Madormo, Health, 24 Oct. 2025 Earth’s substantial atmosphere and geomagnetic field block most (but not all) of this bombardment, and the sunless interiors of worlds without these properties still get protection from overlying material. — Emma R. Hasson, Scientific American, 17 Aug. 2025 As a safer alternative, many people opt for sunless tanning methods such as fake tan products or sprays. — Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 June 2025 The setting is oppressive — cramped, sunless rooms in which workers push out pant after pant, shirt after shirt, vest after vest — but Wang’s gaze is never pitiful or exploitative. — Devika Girish, New York Times, 2 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for sunless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sunless
  1. dark
  2. bleak
  3. lonely
  4. desolate
  5. depressive
  6. depressing
  7. somber
  8. gray
Adjective
  • Nordic drama is still often associated internationally with crime, darker tones and a certain visual restraint.
    — Marta Balaga, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Campaign images show close-fitting cycling jerseys paired with dark shorts, with prints ranging from yellow-green graphics to blue-and-white patterns.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of dark
Adjective
  • Unlike Gregor Samsa who is confined to his room after transforming into a huge insect, the protagonist still has to go to work, a dark and bleak absurdity that lays bare the alienation, isolation, and hypocrisy of modern life.
    — Deadline, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Providing a faint ray of hope in this otherwise bleak start to life, the five baby orangutans have been settling into their new surroundings in Odisha at the Nandankanan Zoo.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of bleak
Adjective
  • An ever-lonelier minority of skeptics argue that AI’s rise may seem unusually fast but is in fact following a centuries-old script.
    — RUCHIR SHARMA, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow, Dodger Nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of lonely
Adjective
  • As filmmakers, they were drawn to the unexpected beauty of the desolate, postindustrial landscape.
    — Kim Velsey, Curbed, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Obscenities, the referee’s whistle, and the thud of boots into balls—and sometimes shins—easily carry across these desolate fields.
    — Vanda Mayer, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of desolate
Adjective
  • Comfort-seeking, in turn, tracked with fewer depressive symptoms.
    — Ashley Lynch, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Aerobic activities appear to improve mood and depressive symptoms, while mind-body activities benefit psychological quality of life.
    — Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of depressive
Adjective
  • There are concerted efforts to ban such devices, but they are still used with depressing frequency.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Sunday’s 31-24 loss to Cincinnati – the latest miserable day during this depressing season - crystallized several issues that general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley must navigate in the days and weeks ahead.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of depressing
Adjective
  • Some are somber, like the single mom Mekko’s left in the lurch or a fellow journalist who prefers feel-good fluff pieces to muckraking.
    — Alison Herman, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The trailer opens on the somber, grayscale world of London before entering the wild, psychedelic, and magical world of Narnia.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of somber
Adjective
  • Video of the incident obtained by CBS News showed a group of around 20 masked men clad in black or gray clothes descending a hill from the area of an Israeli settlement outpost into an olive grove near the Palestinian village of Abu Falah.
    — Dov Lieber, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Yellow police tape cordoned off the property, where several vehicles were parked in the driveway, including a white Toyota SUV, a gray BMW SUV and a black Range Rover.
    — Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of gray

Browse Nearby Words

sun lamps
sunless
sunlight
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sunless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sunless. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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