Twilight is the soft, dim light in the sky just after sunset or just before sunrise. It is the time when it is not fully day and not fully night.
From Middle English "twylyght," combining "twy-" meaning two or half and "light." The word captures the idea of a half‑light between two states.
"Twi-" is a cousin of "two," so twilight literally means something like "double light" or "half light." There are even scientific types of twilight—civil, nautical, astronomical—depending on how far the sun has dipped below the horizon.
The word 'twilight' itself is neutral, but in recent decades it has been strongly associated with the 'Twilight' media franchise, which sparked gendered debates about teenage girls’ tastes and romantic fantasy. Criticism often targeted young women readers more harshly than comparable media aimed at boys.
Use 'twilight' neutrally for the time of day or for the franchise without disparaging fans based on gender or age. Avoid using it as shorthand to belittle girls’ or women’s interests.
["dusk","evening light","the Twilight series (for the franchise)"]
Girls and women readers were central to the success of the 'Twilight' series and to broader young adult literature, demonstrating market power and shaping publishing trends despite gendered dismissal of their preferences.
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