Formed from sun and set, with the noun recorded in Old English. The image of daylight ending later gave rise to the sense of decline, then to legal and business uses for planned expiry.
Evening descent and sky
noun
nature
neutral
The time when the sun disappears below the horizon, or the colored sky and light seen as it goes down.
Examples
- We reached the beach just before sunset.
- Did you photograph the sunset over the lake?
- The clouds turned pink at sunset.
- They worked from sunrise to sunset.
- Tonight’s sunset was bright orange and purple.
Similar words
sundown
dusk
twilight
nightfall
evening
Final period of decline
noun
life
literary
The last part of a life, career, or period, when its strength or importance is fading.
Examples
- He wrote his finest poems in the sunset of his career.
- The empire entered its sunset after decades of unrest.
- She remained active well into the sunset of her life.
- The novel follows a star facing the sunset of her fame.
- They refused to let one defeat define the sunset of the team’s era.
Similar words
decline
twilight
waning
final years
closing stage
Set to expire
adjective
law
technical
Designed to end automatically on a stated date or unless it is reviewed and renewed.
Examples
- The bill includes a five-year sunset clause.
- A sunset provision will end the tax break in 2030.
- Why was no sunset date added to the emergency rule?
- The committee removed the sunset requirement from the program.
- Without a sunset mechanism, the temporary power could become permanent.
Similar words
time-limited
temporary
expiring
fixed-term