candlelit

UK/ˈkæn.dl̩ˌlɪt/US/ˈkæn.dl̩ˌlɪt/

adjectiveB2+Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #12,444 of 15,258leans spoken

Candlelit means lit only by candles. A candlelit dinner, a candlelit vigil, the room was candlelit.

It has two quite separate associations and the noun after it tells you which. A candlelit dinner is romantic; a candlelit vigil is a public act of mourning or protest, and both are fixed phrases. The word belongs to the same family as moonlit, sunlit and floodlit — a light source plus the past participle of light — and all of them describe the scene rather than the source. Note candlelight, the noun, which is used just as often: by candlelight.

Definitions of candlelit

1adjectivecandlelitLit only by candles.B2+
“The whole meal was candlelit because the power was off.”
synonyms: candlelight

candlelit is a quality of light.

Where it comes from

From candle + lit.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Light & Shadow, Shapes & Lines

Practise this word

candlelit in the wild

Behind the door is a table with a candlelit feast on it, and behind that, a spiral staircase that leads upwards out of sight.
The Carpet Crawlers
In both of these works, the candlelit setting had a realist justification.
A Philosopher Lecturing on the Orrery
The painting exhibits Wright's famed skill with nocturnal and candlelit scenes.
Romeo and Juliet: the Tomb Scene
The cover painting by Frank Frazetta, himself an EC alumnus, depicting the Vault-Keeper reading in a candlelit burial vault, is original to this collection.
The Vault of Horror (book)
The castle is open to visitors on certain days in the summer months, with candlelit tours some evenings.
Château de Vieillevie

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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