nightfall C2+ Topic:General Vocabulary Also spelled night-fall US /ˈnaɪtˌfɔl/ UK /ˈnaɪtfɔːl/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun the onset of darkness; dusk They hoped to reach the village before nightfall. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · the onset of darkness; dusk dusktwilightsunsetgloamingeveningsundown ↔ Opposites dawndaybreaksunrisemorning Word family Related forms nightnightlynighttime Etymology AI details A compound of night + fall ('the falling of night'), an English formation; night from Old English niht. niht Old English feallan Old English View etymology graph -> Topics General Vocabulary External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # nightfall **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈnaɪtˌfɔl/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈnaɪtfɔːl/ ## Meanings 1. the onset of darkness; dusk ## Examples - They hoped to reach the village before nightfall. ## Synonyms - dusk - twilight - sunset - gloaming - evening - sundown ## Antonyms - dawn - daybreak - sunrise - morning ## Related Forms - night - nightly - nighttime ## Roots and Affixes - Root: niht - Root: feallan ## Etymology A compound of night + fall ('the falling of night'), an English formation; night from Old English niht. ## AI Etymology Nightfall is a compound of night + fall ('the falling of night'), an English formation; night from Old English niht. The etymological trail includes Old English niht, Old English feallan. The same word family includes night, nightly, nighttime. Its current noun use means "the onset of darkness; dusk". ## Topics - General Vocabulary markdown