dark

comparative darker · superlative darkest

1. Having an absolute or (more often) relative lack of light.

   The room was too dark for reading.

   3 more examples

   It was a dark and stormy night, the rain fell in torrents—except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets […]

   1830, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], chapter I, in Paul Clifford. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 1

   They burned the old gun that used to stand in the dark corner up in the garret, close to the stuffed fox that always grinned so fiercely. Perhaps the reason why he seemed in such a ghastly rage was that he did not come by his death fairly. And why else was he put away up there out of sight?—and so magnificent a brush as he had too.

   1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC

   [Rural solar plant] schemes are of little help to industry or other heavy users of electricity. Nor is solar power yet as cheap as the grid. For all that, the rapid arrival of electric light to Indian villages is long overdue. When the national grid suffers its next huge outage, as it did in July 2012 when hundreds of millions were left in the dark, look for specks of light in the villages.

   2013 July 20, “Out of the gloom”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845

   Synonyms: dim, gloomy · Antonyms: bright, light, lit

   1. Extinguished.

      Dark signals should be treated as all-way stop signs.

      Synonyms: dim, gloomy, doused, out, quenched · Antonyms: bright, light, lit

   2. Deprived of sight; blind.

      He was, I think, at this time quite dark, and so had been for some years.

      1661 April 7 (Gregorian calendar), John Evelyn, “[Diary entry for 29 March 1661]”, in William Bray, editor, Memoirs, Illustrative of the Life and Writings of John Evelyn, […], 2nd edition, volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […]; and sold by John and Arthur Arch, […], published 1819, →OCLC

      Synonyms: dim, gloomy, eyeless, sightless, unseeing · Antonyms: bright, light, lit

2. Transmitting, reflecting, or receiving inadequate light to render timely discernment or comprehension

   Synonyms: caliginous, darkling, dim, gloomy, lightless, sombre · Antonyms: luminous, radiant, aglow, alight, beamful, beamsome, beamy, brilliant

3. Dull or deeper in hue; not bright or light.

   Her skin grew dark with a suntan.

   3 more examples

   My sister’s hair is darker than mine.

   Serene, smiling, enigmatic, she faced him with no fear whatever showing in her dark eyes. The clear light of the bright autumn morning had no terrors for youth and health like hers.

   1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC

   If I close my eyes I can see Marie today as I saw her then. Round, rosy face, snub nose, dark hair piled up in a chignon.

   1977, Agatha Christie, chapter 2, in An Autobiography, part II, London: Collins, →ISBN

   Synonyms: deep, deep, dull, dusky, full, fuscous, languid, muted · Antonyms: bright, light, pale

4. Ambiguously or unclearly expressed.

   the dark problems of existence

   1881, John Shairp, Aspects of Poetry

   4 more examples

   What's your dark meaning, mouse, of this light word?

   c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Loues Labour’s Lost”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]

   What may seem dark at the first, will afterward be found more plain.

   [1594], Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Iohn Windet, […], →OCLC, (please specify the page)

   The Ways of Heav’n are dark and intricate, Puzzled in Mazes, and perplext with Errors; Our Underſtanding traces ’em in vain, Loſt and bewilder’d in the fruitleſs Search; […]

   1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 2

   It is the remark of an ingenious writer, should a barbarous Indian, who had never seen a palace or a ship, view their separate and disjointed parts, and observe the pillars, doors, windows, cornices and turrets of the one, or the prow and stern, the ribs and masts, the ropes and shrouds, the sails and tackle of the other, he would be able to form but a very lame and dark idea of either of those excellent and useful inventions.

   1741, I[saac] Watts, The Improvement of the Mind: Or, A Supplement to the Art of Logick: […], London: […] James Brackstone, […], →OCLC

   Synonyms: enigmatic, esoteric, mysterious, obscure, undefined, arcane, enigmatic, esoteric

5. Marked by or conducted with secrecy.

   dark money

   3 more examples

   The dark side of the moon.

   Meantime we shall express our darker purpose

   c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]

   “Clarence, can you lend me three thousand pounds on good security and keep it dark from Connie?”

   1923, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter I, in Leave It to Psmith

   Synonyms: clandestine, hidden, secret, sinister, surreptitious, covered, concealed, dern

   1. gamblingHaving racing capability not widely known.

      1 more example

      The first favourite was never heard of, the second favourite was never seen after the distance post, all the ten-to-oners were in the rear, and a dark horse, which had never been thought of, and which the careless [Duke of] St. James had never even observed in the list, rushed past the grand stand in sweeping triumph.

      1831, [Benjamin Disraeli], chapter V, in The Young Duke. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, book II, page 163

      Synonyms: clandestine, hidden, secret, sinister, surreptitious, covered, concealed, dern

6. Without moral or spiritual light; sinister, malevolent, malign.

   a dark deed

   2 more examples

   a dark villain

   Left him at large to his own dark designs.

   1667, John Milton, “Book I”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC

   Synonyms: demonic, malign, sinister, abandoned, arrant, bad, bad apple, bad seed

7. Conducive to hopelessness; depressing or bleak.

   The Great Depression was a dark time.

   3 more examples

   The film was a dark psychological thriller.

   A deep melancholy took possession of him, and gave a dark tinge to all his views of human nature.

   1856 December, [Thomas Babington] Macaulay, “Samuel Johnson”, in T[homas] F[lower] E[llis], editor, The Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches of Lord Macaulay, new edition, London: Longman, Green, Reader, & Dyer, published 1871, →OCLC

   There is, in every true woman's heart, a spark of heavenly fire, which beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity.

   1819 June 23 – 1820 September 13, Geoffrey Crayon [pseudonym; Washington Irving], “(please specify the title)”, in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., New York, N.Y.: […] C[ornelius] S. Van Winkle, […], →OCLC

   Synonyms: dreary, hopeless, negative, pessimistic, cheerless, comfortless, bleak, morose

8. Lacking progress in science or the arts.

   The Greek Dark Ages began after the Bronze Age collapse.

   3 more examples

   The dark ages began after the collapse of the Roman Empire.

   The age wherein he lived was dark, but he Could not want light who taught the world to see.

   1668, John Denham, The Progress of Learning

   The tenth century used to be reckoned by mediaeval historians as the darkest part of this intellectual night.

   1837–1839, Henry Hallam, Introduction to the Literature of Europe, in the Fifteenth, Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries, volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: John Murray, […], →OCLC

   Synonyms: unenlightened

9. Extremely sad, depressing, or somber, typically due to, or marked by, a tragic or undesirable event.

   September 11, 2001, the day when four terrorist attacks destroyed the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, is often referred to as America’s dark day.

   Synonyms: grievous, mournful, atrabiliary, atrabilious, deplorable, depressing, distressing, grievous

10. With emphasis placed on the unpleasant and macabre aspects of life; said of a work of fiction, a work of nonfiction presented in narrative form, or a portion of either.

    This show is full of dark humor.

    1 more example

    The ending of this book is rather dark.

11. broadcastingOff the air; not transmitting.

plural darks

1. uncountableusuallyA complete or (more often) partial absence of light.

   Dark surrounds us completely.

   3 more examples

   Here stood he in the dark, his sharp sword out.

   c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]

   The face which emerged was not reassuring. It was blunt and grey, the nose springing thick and flat from high on the frontal bone of the forehead, whilst his eyes were narrow slits of dark in a tight bandage of tissue.[…].

   1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 17, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC

   [Rural solar plant] schemes are of little help to industry or other heavy users of electricity. Nor is solar power yet as cheap as the grid. For all that, the rapid arrival of electric light to Indian villages is long overdue. When the national grid suffers its next huge outage, as it did in July 2012 when hundreds of millions were left in the dark, look for specks of light in the villages.

   2013 July 20, “Out of the gloom”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845

   Synonyms: darkness

2. uncountableusuallyIgnorance.

   We kept him in the dark.

   3 more examples

   The lawyer was left in the dark as to why the jury was dismissed.

   Look, what you do, you do it still i' th' dark.

   c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Loues Labour’s Lost”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]

   Till we perceive it by our own understandings, we are as much in the dark, and as void of knowledge, as before.

   a. 1705, John Locke, “Of the Conduct of the Understanding”, in Posthumous Works of Mr. John Locke: […], London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], published 1706, →OCLC

   Synonyms: cluelessness, knowledgelessness, unawareness

3. uncountableusuallyNightfall.

   It was after dark before we got to playing baseball.

   Synonyms: crepusculum

4. uncountableusuallyA dark shade or dark passage in a painting, engraving, etc.

   The lights may serve for a repose to the darks, and the darks to the lights.

   1695, C[harles] A[lphonse] du Fresnoy, translated by John Dryden, De Arte Graphica. The Art of Painting, […], London: […] J[ohn] Heptinstall for W. Rogers, […], →OCLC

present singular third person darks · participle present darking · participle past darked · past darked

1. intransitiveTo grow or become dark, darken.
2. intransitiveTo remain in the dark, lurk, lie hidden or concealed.

   To dark is still used in Swaledale (Yorkshire) in the sense of to lie hid, as, 'Te rattens [rats] mun ha bin darkin whel nu [till now]; we hannot heerd tem tis last fortnith'.

   1873, Richard Morris, Walter William Skeat, “Glossarial Index”, in Specimens of Early English, volumes II: From Robert of Gloucester to Gower, A.D. 1298—A.D. 1393, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 490

3. transitiveTo make dark, darken; to obscure.

plural Darks

1. A surname.