at dusk vs in the dusk

https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/at-dusk-vs-in-the-dusk.2978214/

problem

Hi!

I was wondering if there is any difference between these expressions. I found this example:

His face was barely visible in the dusk.

Could "at dusk" replace "in the dusk"?

Thank you! 😃

reply 1

Yes but His face was barely visible in the dusk. and His face was barely visible at dusk. mean completely different things.

His face was barely visible in the dusk. = [On this occasion,] The poor light during dusk prevented my seeing his face. His face was barely visible at dusk. = Every day, at dusk, his face could barely be seen.

reply 2

No, 'at dusk' is the time: the time when the outside world becomes twilight as the sun is setting. You can be inside a brightly-lit room at dusk. But you won't be in the dusk, that is outside in the half-light of sunset.

ask:

Do I need the in this sentence?

Little by little, (the) dusk was falling.

reply:

You don't need the to make the sentence grammatical; as a stand-alone sentence it's fine with or without the. But your context may determine which is better.

reply 3

No. The sentence you quoted is describing a particular moment on a particular evening. It is dusk, and his face is barely visible because of the low light.

'His face was barely visible at dusk' means that every time it is dusk, his face is barely visible. Now this may well be true if he is outside (logically it makes sense), but it's not quite the same meaning.

Edit: Cross-posted twice, oops!