Dark vs. Light

Having an absolute or (more often) relative lack of light.

Example: ‘The room was too dark for reading.’;

(of a source of light) Extinguished.

Example: ‘Dark signals should be treated as all-way stop signs.’;

Deprived of sight; blind.

(of colour) Dull or deeper in hue; not bright or light.

Example: ‘my sister's hair is darker than mine;’; ‘her skin grew dark with a suntan’;

Hidden, secret, obscure.

Not clear to the understanding; not easily through; obscure; mysterious; hidden.

Having racing capability not widely known.

Without moral or spiritual light; sinister, malign.

Example: ‘a dark villain;’; ‘a dark deed’;

Conducive to hopelessness; depressing or bleak.

Example: ‘the Great Depression was a dark time;’; ‘the film was a dark psychological thriller’;

Lacking progress in science or the arts; said of a time period.

With emphasis placed on the unpleasant aspects of life; said of a work of fiction, a work of nonfiction presented in narrative form or a portion of either.

Example: ‘The ending of this book is rather dark.’;

A complete or (more often) partial absence of light.

Example: ‘Dark surrounds us completely.’;

(uncountable) Ignorance.

Example: ‘We kept him in the dark.’; ‘The lawyer was left in the dark as to why the jury was dismissed.’;

(uncountable) Nightfall.

Example: ‘It was after dark before we got to playing baseball.’;

A dark shade or dark passage in a painting, engraving, etc.

(intransitive) To grow or become dark, darken.

(intransitive) To remain in the dark, lurk, lie hidden or concealed.

(transitive) To make dark, darken; to obscure.

Destitute, or partially destitute, of light; not receiving, reflecting, or radiating light; wholly or partially black, or of some deep shade of color; not light-colored; as, a dark room; a dark day; dark cloth; dark paint; a dark complexion.

Example: ‘O dark, dark, dark, amid the blaze of noon,Irrecoverably dark, total eclipseWithout all hope of day!’; ‘In the dark and silent grave.’;

Not clear to the understanding; not easily seen through; obscure; mysterious; hidden.

Example: ‘The dark problems of existence.’; ‘What may seem dark at the first, will afterward be found more plain.’; ‘What's your dark meaning, mouse, of this light word?’;

Destitute of knowledge and culture; in moral or intellectual darkness; unrefined; ignorant.

Example: ‘The age wherein he lived was dark, but heCould not want light who taught the world to see.’; ‘The tenth century used to be reckoned by mediæval historians as the darkest part of this intellectual night.’;

Evincing black or foul traits of character; vile; wicked; atrocious; as, a dark villain; a dark deed.

Example: ‘Left him at large to his own dark designs.’;

Foreboding evil; gloomy; jealous; suspicious.

Example: ‘More dark and dark our woes.’; ‘A deep melancholy took possesion of him, and gave a dark tinge to all his views of human nature.’; ‘There is, in every true woman-s heart, a spark of heavenly fire, which beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity.’;

Deprived of sight; blind.

Example: ‘He was, I think, at this time quite dark, and so had been for some years.’;

Absence of light; darkness; obscurity; a place where there is little or no light.

Example: ‘Here stood he in the dark, his sharp sword out.’;

The condition of ignorance; gloom; secrecy.

Example: ‘Look, what you do, you do it still i' th' dark.’; ‘Till we perceive by our own understandings, we are as much in the dark, and as void of knowledge, as before.’;

A dark shade or dark passage in a painting, engraving, or the like; as, the light and darks are well contrasted.

Example: ‘The lights may serve for a repose to the darks, and the darks to the lights.’;

To darken; to obscure.

absence of light or illumination

absence of moral or spiritual values;

Example: ‘the powers of darkness’;

an unilluminated area;

Example: ‘he moved off into the darkness’;

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

an unenlightened state;

Example: ‘he was in the dark concerning their intentions’; ‘his lectures dispelled the darkness’;

devoid or partially devoid of light or brightness; shadowed or black or somber-colored;

Example: ‘sitting in a dark corner’; ‘a dark day’; ‘dark shadows’; ‘the theater is dark on Mondays’; ‘dark as the inside of a black cat’;

(used of color) having a dark hue;

Example: ‘dark green’; ‘dark glasses’; ‘dark colors like wine red or navy blue’;

brunet (used of hair or skin or eyes);

Example: ‘dark eyes’;

stemming from evil characteristics or forces; wicked or dishonorable;

Example: ‘black deeds’; ‘a black lie’; ‘his black heart has concocted yet another black deed’; ‘Darth Vader of the dark side’; ‘a dark purpose’; ‘dark undercurrents of ethnic hostility’; ‘the scheme of some sinister intelligence bent on punishing him’;

causing dejection;

Example: ‘a blue day’; ‘the dark days of the war’; ‘a week of rainy depressing weather’; ‘a disconsolate winter landscape’; ‘the first dismal dispiriting days of November’; ‘a dark gloomy day’; ‘grim rainy weather’;

secret;

Example: ‘keep it dark’; ‘the dark mysteries of Africa and the fabled wonders of the East’;

showing a brooding ill humor;

Example: ‘a dark scowl’; ‘the proverbially dour New England Puritan’; ‘a glum, hopeless shrug’; ‘he sat in moody silence’; ‘a morose and unsociable manner’; ‘a saturnine, almost misanthropic young genius’; ‘a sour temper’; ‘a sullen crowd’;

lacking enlightenment or knowledge or culture;

Example: ‘this benighted country’; ‘benighted ages of barbarism and superstition’; ‘the dark ages’; ‘a dark age in the history of education’;

marked by difficulty of style or expression;

Example: ‘much that was dark is now quite clear to me’; ‘those who do not appreciate Kafka's work say his style is obscure’;

having skin rich in melanin pigments;

Example: ‘National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’; ‘the dark races’; ‘dark-skinned peoples’;

not giving performances; closed;

Example: ‘the theater is dark on Mondays’;

Visible electromagnetic radiation. The human eye can typically detect radiation (light) in the wavelength range of about 400 to 750 nanometers. Nearby shorter and longer wavelength ranges, although not visible, are commonly called ultraviolet and infrared light.

Example: ‘As you can see, this spacious dining-room gets a lot of light in the mornings.’;

A source of illumination.

Example: ‘Put that light out!’;

Spiritual or mental illumination; enlightenment, useful information.

Example: ‘Can you throw any light on this problem?’;

Facts; pieces of information; ideas, concepts.

A notable person within a specific field or discipline.

Example: ‘Picasso was one of the leading lights of the cubist movement.’;

(painting) The manner in which the light strikes a picture; that part of a picture which represents those objects upon which the light is supposed to fall; the more illuminated part of a landscape or other scene; opposed to shade.

A point of view, or aspect from which a concept, person or thing is regarded.

Example: ‘I'm really seeing you in a different light today.’; ‘Magoon's governorship in Cuba was viewed in a negative light by many Cuban historians for years thereafter.’;

A flame or something used to create fire.

Example: ‘Hey, buddy, you got a light?’;

A firework made by filling a case with a substance which burns brilliantly with a white or coloured flame.

Example: ‘a Bengal light’;

A window, or space for a window in architecture.

Example: ‘This facade has eight south-facing lights.’;

The series of squares reserved for the answer to a crossword clue.

Example: ‘The average length of a light on a 15×15 grid is 7 or 8.’;

(informal) A cross-light in a double acrostic or triple acrostic.

Open view; a visible state or condition; public observation; publicity.

The power of perception by vision.

The brightness of the eye or eyes.

A traffic light, or, by extension, an intersection controlled by one or more that will face a traveler who is receiving instructions.

Example: ‘To get to our house, turn right at the third light.’;

(curling) A stone that is not thrown hard enough.

(transitive) To start (a fire).

Example: ‘We lit the fire to get some heat.’;

(transitive) To set fire to; to set burning; to kindle.

Example: ‘She lit her last match.’;

(transitive) To illuminate.

Example: ‘I used my torch to light the way home through the woods in the night.’;

(intransitive) To become ignited; to take fire.

Example: ‘This soggy match will not light.’;

To attend or conduct with a light; to show the way to by means of a light.

(nautical) To unload a ship, or to jettison material to make it lighter

To lighten; to ease of a burden; to take off.

To find by chance.

Example: ‘I lit upon a rare book in a second-hand bookseller's.’;

To stop upon of eyes or a glance; to notice

(archaic) To alight; to land or come down.

Example: ‘She fell out of the window but luckily lit on her feet.’;

Having light.

Example: ‘The room is light when the Sun shines through the window.’;

Pale in colour.

Example: ‘She had light skin.’;

(of coffee) Served with extra milk or cream.

Example: ‘I like my coffee light.’;

Of low weight; not heavy.

Example: ‘My bag was much lighter once I had dropped off the books.’;

Lightly-built; designed for speed or small loads.

Example: ‘We took a light aircraft down to the city.’;

Gentle; having little force or momentum.

Example: ‘This artist clearly had a light, flowing touch.’;

Easy to endure or perform.

Example: ‘light duties around the house’;

Low in fat, calories, alcohol, salt, etc.

Example: ‘This light beer still gets you drunk if you have enough of it.’;

Unimportant, trivial, having little value or significance.

Example: ‘I made some light comment, and we moved on.’;

travelling with no carriages, wagons attached

(obsolete) Unchaste, wanton.

Not heavily armed; armed with light weapons.

Example: ‘light troops; a troop of light horse’;

Not encumbered; unembarrassed; clear of impediments; hence, active; nimble; swift.

(dated) Easily influenced by trifling considerations; unsteady; unsettled; volatile.

Example: ‘a light, vain person; a light mind’;

Indulging in, or inclined to, levity; lacking dignity or solemnity; frivolous; airy.

Example: ‘Ogden Nash was a writer of light verse.’;

Not quite sound or normal; somewhat impaired or deranged; dizzy; giddy.

Not of the legal, standard, or usual weight; clipped; diminished.

Example: ‘light coin’;

Easily interrupted by stimulation.

Example: ‘light sleep; light anesthesia’;

Carrying little.

Example: ‘I prefer to travel light.’;

That agent, force, or action in nature by the operation of which upon the organs of sight, objects are rendered visible or luminous.

That which furnishes, or is a source of, light, as the sun, a star, a candle, a lighthouse, etc.

Example: ‘Then he called for a light, and sprang in.’; ‘And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night.’;

The time during which the light of the sun is visible; day; especially, the dawn of day.

Example: ‘The murderer, rising with the light, killeth the poor and needy.’;

The brightness of the eye or eyes.

Example: ‘He seemed to find his way without his eyes;For out o'door he went without their helps,And, to the last, bended their light on me.’;

The medium through which light is admitted, as a window, or window pane; a skylight; in architecture, one of the compartments of a window made by a mullion or mullions.

Example: ‘There were windows in three rows, and light was against light in three ranks.’;

Life; existence.

Example: ‘O, spring to light, auspicious Babe, be born !’;

Open view; a visible state or condition; public observation; publicity.

Example: ‘The duke yet would have dark deeds darkly answered; he would never bring them to light.’;

The power of perception by vision.

Example: ‘My strength faileth me; as for the light of my eyes, it also is gone from me.’;

That which illumines or makes clear to the mind; mental or spiritual illumination; enlightenment; knowledge; information.

Example: ‘He shall never knowThat I had any light of this from thee.’;

Prosperity; happiness; joy; felicity.

Example: ‘Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy health shall spring forth speedily.’;

The manner in which the light strikes upon a picture; that part of a picture which represents those objects upon which the light is supposed to fall; the more illuminated part of a landscape or other scene; - opposed to shade. Cf. Chiaroscuro.

Appearance due to the particular facts and circumstances presented to view; point of view; as, to state things fairly and put them in the right light.

Example: ‘Frequent consideration of a thing . . . shows it in its several lights and various ways of appearance.’;

One who is conspicuous or noteworthy; a model or example; as, the lights of the age or of antiquity.

Example: ‘Joan of Arc,A light of ancient France.’;

A firework made by filling a case with a substance which burns brilliantly with a white or colored flame; as, a Bengal light.

Example: ‘Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.’;

Having light; not dark or obscure; bright; clear; as, the apartment is light.

White or whitish; not intense or very marked; not of a deep shade; moderately colored; as, a light color; a light brown; a light complexion.

Having little, or comparatively little, weight; not tending to be the center of gravity with force; not heavy.

Example: ‘These weights did not exert their natural gravity, . . . insomuch that I could not guess which was light or heavy whilst I held them in my hand.’;

Not burdensome; easy to be lifted, borne, or carried by physical strength; as, a light burden, or load.

Example: ‘Ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’;

Easy to be endured or performed; not severe; not difficult; as, a light affliction or task.

Example: ‘Light sufferings give us leisure to complain.’;

Easy to be digested; not oppressive to the stomach; as, light food; also, containing little nutriment.

Not heavily armed; armed with light weapons; as, light troops; a troop of light horse.

Not encumbered; unembarrassed; clear of impediments; hence, active; nimble; swift.

Example: ‘Unmarried men are best friends, best masters . . . but not always best subjects, for they are light to run away.’;

Not heavily burdened; not deeply laden; not sufficiently ballasted; as, the ship returned light.

Slight; not important; as, a light error.

Well leavened; not heavy; as, light bread.

Not copious or heavy; not dense; not inconsiderable; as, a light rain; a light snow; light vapors.

Not strong or violent; moderate; as, a light wind.

Not pressing heavily or hard upon; hence, having an easy, graceful manner; delicate; as, a light touch; a light style of execution.

Easy to admit influence; inconsiderate; easily influenced by trifling considerations; unsteady; unsettled; volatile; as, a light, vain person; a light mind.

Example: ‘There is no greater argument of a light and inconsiderate person than profanely to scoff at religion.’;

Indulging in, or inclined to, levity; wanting dignity or solemnity; trifling; gay; frivolous; airy; unsubstantial.

Example: ‘Seneca can not be too heavy, nor Plautus too light.’; ‘Specimens of New England humor laboriously light and lamentably mirthful.’;

Not quite sound or normal; somewhat impaired or deranged; dizzy; giddy.

Example: ‘Are his wits safe? Is he not light of brain ?’;

Easily bestowed; inconsiderately rendered.

Example: ‘To a fair semblance doth light faith annex.’;

Wanton; unchaste; as, a woman of light character.

Example: ‘A light wife doth make a heavy husband.’;

Not of the legal, standard, or usual weight; clipped; diminished; as, light coin.

Loose; sandy; easily pulverized; as, a light soil.

To set fire to; to cause to burn; to set burning; to ignite; to kindle; as, to light a candle or lamp; to light the gas; - sometimes with up.

Example: ‘If a thousand candles be all lighted from one.’; ‘And the largest lamp is lit.’; ‘Absence might cure it, or a second mistressLight up another flame, and put out this.’;

To give light to; to illuminate; to fill with light; to spread over with light; - often with up.

Example: ‘Ah, hopeless, lasting flames! like those that burnTo light the dead.’; ‘One hundred years ago, to have lit this theater as brilliantly as it is now lighted would have cost, I suppose, fifty pounds.’; ‘The sun has set, and Vesper, to supplyHis absent beams, has lighted up the sky.’;

To attend or conduct with a light; to show the way to by means of a light.

Example: ‘His bishops lead him forth, and light him on.’;

To become ignited; to take fire; as, the match will not light.

To be illuminated; to receive light; to brighten; - with up; as, the room light up very well.

To lighten; to ease of a burden; to take off.

Example: ‘From his head the heavy burgonet did light.’;

To dismount; to descend, as from a horse or carriage; to alight; - with from, off, on, upon, at, in.

Example: ‘When she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel.’; ‘Slowly rode across a withered heath,And lighted at a ruined inn.’;

To feel light; to be made happy.

Example: ‘It made all their hearts to light.’;

To descend from flight, and rest, perch, or settle, as a bird or insect.

Example: ‘[The bee] lights on that, and this, and tasteth all.’; ‘On the tree tops a crested peacock lit.’;

To come down suddenly and forcibly; to fall; - with on or upon.

Example: ‘On me, me only, as the source and springOf all corruption, all the blame lights due.’;

To come by chance; to happen; - with on or upon; formerly with into.

Example: ‘The several degrees of vision, which the assistance of glasses (casually at first lit on) has taught us to conceive.’; ‘They shall light into atheistical company.’; ‘And here we lit on Aunt Elizabeth,And Lilia with the rest.’;

Lightly; cheaply.

(physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation;

Example: ‘the light was filtered through a soft glass window’;

any device serving as a source of illumination;

Example: ‘he stopped the car and turned off the lights’;

a particular perspective or aspect of a situation;

Example: ‘although he saw it in a different light, he still did not understand’;

the quality of being luminous; emitting or reflecting light;

Example: ‘its luminosity is measured relative to that of our sun’;

an illuminated area;

Example: ‘he stepped into the light’;

a condition of spiritual awareness; divine illumination;

Example: ‘follow God's light’;

the visual effect of illumination on objects or scenes as created in pictures;

Example: ‘he could paint the lightest light and the darkest dark’;

a person regarded very fondly;

Example: ‘the light of my life’;

mental understanding as an enlightening experience;

Example: ‘he finally saw the light’; ‘can you shed light on this problem?’;

having abundant light or illumination;

Example: ‘they played as long as it was light’; ‘as long as the lighting was good’;

public awareness;

Example: ‘it brought the scandal to light’;

brightness and animation of countenance;

Example: ‘he had a sparkle in his eye’;

a divine presence believed by Quakers to enlighten and guide the soul

a visual warning signal;

Example: ‘they saw the light of the beacon’; ‘there was a light at every corner’;

a device for lighting or igniting fuel or charges or fires;

Example: ‘do you have a light?’;

make lighter or brighter;

Example: ‘This lamp lightens the room a bit’;

begin to smoke;

Example: ‘After the meal, some of the diners lit up’;

to come to rest, settle;

Example: ‘Misfortune lighted upon him’;

cause to start burning; subject to fire or great heat;

Example: ‘Great heat can ignite almost any dry matter’; ‘Light a cigarette’;

fall to somebody by assignment or lot;

Example: ‘The task fell to me’; ‘It fell to me to notify the parents of the victims’;

get off (a horse)

of comparatively little physical weight or density;

Example: ‘a light load’; ‘magnesium is a light metal--having a specific gravity of 1.74 at 20 degrees C’;

(used of color) having a relatively small amount of coloring agent;

Example: ‘light blue’; ‘light colors such as pastels’; ‘a light-colored powder’;

of the military or industry; using (or being) relatively small or light arms or equipment;

Example: ‘light infantry’; ‘light cavalry’; ‘light industry’; ‘light weapons’;

not great in degree or quantity or number;

Example: ‘a light sentence’; ‘a light accent’; ‘casualties were light’; ‘light snow was falling’; ‘light misty rain’; ‘light smoke from the chimney’;

psychologically light; especially free from sadness or troubles;

Example: ‘a light heart’;

characterized by or emitting light;

Example: ‘a room that is light when the shutters are open’; ‘the inside of the house was airy and light’;

used of vowels or syllables; pronounced with little or no stress;

Example: ‘a syllable that ends in a short vowel is a light syllable’; ‘a weak stress on the second syllable’;

easily assimilated in the alimentary canal; not rich or heavily seasoned;

Example: ‘a light diet’;

(used of soil) loose and large-grained in consistency;

Example: ‘light sandy soil’;

(of sound or color) free from anything that dulls or dims;

Example: ‘efforts to obtain a clean bass in orchestral recordings’; ‘clear laughter like a waterfall’; ‘clear reds and blues’; ‘a light lilting voice like a silver bell’;

moving easily and quickly; nimble;

Example: ‘the dancer was light and graceful’; ‘a lightsome buoyant step’; ‘walked with a light tripping step’;

demanding little effort; not burdensome;

Example: ‘light housework’; ‘light exercise’;

of little intensity or power or force;

Example: ‘the light touch of her fingers’; ‘a light breeze’;

(physics, chemistry) not having atomic weight greater than average;

Example: ‘light water is ordinary water’;

weak and likely to lose consciousness;

Example: ‘suddenly felt faint from the pain’; ‘was sick and faint from hunger’; ‘felt light in the head’; ‘a swooning fit’; ‘light-headed with wine’; ‘light-headed from lack of sleep’;

very thin and insubstantial;

Example: ‘thin paper’; ‘flimsy voile’; ‘light summer dresses’;

marked by temperance in indulgence;

Example: ‘abstemious meals’; ‘a light eater’; ‘a light smoker’; ‘ate a light supper’;

less than the correct or legal or full amount often deliberately so;

Example: ‘a light pound’; ‘a scant cup of sugar’; ‘regularly gives short weight’;

having little importance;

Example: ‘losing his job was no light matter’;

intended primarily as entertainment; not serious or profound;

Example: ‘light verse’; ‘a light comedy’;

silly or trivial;

Example: ‘idle pleasure’; ‘light banter’; ‘light idle chatter’;

having a spongy or flaky texture; well-leavened;

Example: ‘light pastries’;

designed for ease of movement or to carry little weight;

Example: ‘light aircraft’; ‘a light truck’;

having relatively few calories;

Example: ‘diet cola’; ‘light (or lite) beer’; ‘lite (or light) mayonnaise’; ‘a low-cal diet’;

(of sleep) easily disturbed;

Example: ‘in a light doze’; ‘a light sleeper’; ‘a restless wakeful night’;

casual and unrestrained in sexual behavior;

Example: ‘her easy virtue’; ‘he was told to avoid loose (or light) women’; ‘wanton behavior’;

with few burdens;

Example: ‘experienced travellers travel light’;

the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible

Example: ‘the light of the sun’; ‘the lamps in the street shed a faint light into the room’;

a source of illumination, especially an electric lamp

Example: ‘a light came on in his room’;

decorative illuminations

Example: ‘Christmas lights’;

a traffic light

Example: ‘turn right at the lights’;

the amount or quality of light in a place

Example: ‘in some lights she could look beautiful’; ‘the plant requires good light’;

the light falling on the windows of a house.

an expression in someone's eyes indicating a particular emotion or mood

Example: ‘a shrewd light entered his eyes’;

a person's opinions, standards, and abilities

Example: ‘leaving the police to do the job according to their lights’;

understanding of a problem or mystery; enlightenment

Example: ‘she saw light dawn on the woman's face’;

spiritual illumination by divine truth.

an area of something that is brighter or paler than its surroundings

Example: ‘sunshine will brighten the natural lights in your hair’;

a device used to produce a flame or spark

Example: ‘he asked me for a light’;

a window or opening to let light in

Example: ‘the bedroom has a wide bay with leaded lights’;

a perpendicular division of a mullioned window.

a pane of glass forming the roof or side of a greenhouse or the top of a cold frame.

a person eminent in a particular sphere of activity

Example: ‘such lights of Liberalism as the historian Goldwin Smith’;

(in a crossword puzzle) a blank space to be filled by a letter.

provide with light or lighting; illuminate

Example: ‘lightning suddenly lit up the house’; ‘the room was lit by a number of small lamps’;

switch on (an electric light)

Example: ‘only one of the table lamps was lit’;

provide a light for (someone) so that they can see where they are going

Example: ‘I'll light you down to the gate’;

become illuminated

Example: ‘the sign to fasten seat belts lit up’;

make (something) start burning; ignite

Example: ‘Allen gathered sticks and lit a fire’;

begin to burn; be ignited

Example: ‘the gas wouldn't light properly’;

ignite a cigarette, cigar, or pipe and begin to smoke it

Example: ‘she lit up a cigarette and puffed on it serenely’; ‘workers who light up in prohibited areas face dismissal’;

come upon or discover by chance

Example: ‘he lit on a possible solution’;

descend

Example: ‘from the horse he lit down’;

fall and settle or land on (a surface)

Example: ‘a feather just lighted on the ground’;

having a considerable or sufficient amount of natural light; not dark

Example: ‘the bedrooms are light and airy’;

(of a colour) pale

Example: ‘her eyes were light blue’;

of little weight; not heavy

Example: ‘they are very light and portable’; ‘light alloy wheels’; ‘you're as light as a feather’;

deficient in weight, especially by a specified amount

Example: ‘the sack of potatoes is 5 kilos light’;

not strongly or heavily built or made

Example: ‘light armour’; ‘light, impractical clothes’;

carrying or suitable for small loads

Example: ‘light commercial vehicles’;

carrying only light armaments

Example: ‘light infantry’;

(of a vehicle, ship, or aircraft) travelling unladen or with less than a full load.

(of soil) friable, porous, and workable.

(of an isotope) having not more than the usual mass; (of a compound) containing such an isotope.

relatively low in density, amount, or intensity

Example: ‘light autumn rains’; ‘passenger traffic was light’;

(of sleep or a sleeper) easily disturbed

Example: ‘I'm a light sleeper’; ‘her sleep was light and fitful’;

easily borne or done

Example: ‘he received a light sentence’; ‘some light housework’;

(of food or a meal) small in quantity and easy to digest

Example: ‘a light supper’;

(of a foodstuff) low in fat, cholesterol, sugar, or other rich ingredients

Example: ‘stick to a light diet’;

(of drink) not strongly alcoholic or heavy on the stomach

Example: ‘a light Hungarian wine’;

(of pastry or cake) fluffy or well aerated during cooking

Example: ‘it was delicious, the pastry light and flaky’;

gentle or delicate

Example: ‘she planted a light kiss on his cheek’; ‘my breathing was steady and light’;

(of type) having thin strokes; not bold

Example: ‘times shown in light type denote connecting services’;

(of entertainment) requiring little mental effort; not profound or serious

Example: ‘pop is thought of as light entertainment’; ‘some light reading’;

not solemn or unhappy; cheerful

Example: ‘I left the island with a light heart’;

(of a woman) having many casual sexual encounters or relationships.

Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation within the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), between the infrared (with longer wavelengths) and the ultraviolet (with shorter wavelengths).