Word.ws English Dictionary

penumbral

penumbral adjective: of, or pertaining to, the penumbra.

Adjective

penumbral (not comparable)

  1. Of, or pertaining to, the penumbra.
  2. Implied or logically following from something, but not directly stated.
    • Relatedly, there are Fine's penumbral connections which reflect logical relations between indefinite sentences. He claims that, regarding a borderline red-pink blob, we are obliged to respect the truth of 'if the blob is to be red then it is not to be pink.'2000 September 28, Rosanna Keefe, Theories of Vagueness, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 44
    • This would be the most far-reaching penumbral interpretation of the right to security, and might be called the "capabilities-based" interpretation. We have a right to security, in this view, because we have a right to live the "fully human" life such security in part ensures.2017 May 15, Thom Brooks, Justice and the Capabilities Approach, Routledge, →ISBN
  3. Connected to a term, but not essential to its meaning.
    • The meaning of the term 'preventive or enforcement action' has prompted considerable discussion. Given the lack of practice under Art. 5, the depth and detail of this debate may be surprising. As will be shown, the core meaning of the term seems clear enough, and while there are some doubts about...2012 November 22, Nikolai Wessendorf, The Charter of the United Nations: A Commentary, OUP Oxford, →ISBN, page 2035
    • One might argue that this gun culture is flatly irrelevant to the interpretation of the Second Amendment, at least to the degree that it is rooted in recreational pursuits like hunting that are penumbral to the self-defense right recognized in Heller.2013 November 5, Yale Law Journal, Yale Law Journal: Volume 123, Number 1 - October 2013, Quid Pro Books, →ISBN
    Synonyms:
    accidental
    Antonyms:
    core

Synonyms of penumbral

Antonyms

Origin of penumbral

From penumbra + -al.

Words formed from penumbral

Questions about penumbral

What does penumbral mean?
Penumbral means of, or pertaining to, the penumbra.
What part of speech is penumbral?
Penumbral is an adjective.

Words near penumbral in the dictionary

  1. penultimatum
  2. penultimatums
  3. penults
  4. penumbra
  5. penumbrae
  6. penumbral
  7. penumbrally
  8. penumbras
  9. penumbrous
  10. penumbræ
  11. Penunuri

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: penumbral (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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