Meanings
- InternethumorousThe circumstances of the present moment in history, viewed as bleak, frightening, ridiculous, or the worst of all possibilities.
Living as we all do now in The Darkest Timeline™, it's tough to come up with a plot that exceeds the implausibility and dystopia of reality.
2019, Jessica Bryce Young, in "Selections", Orlando Weekly, 13 March 2019 - 19 March 2019, page 432 more examples
I still can't believe that there is a President Trump and this really does feel like the darkest timeline, but there is nothing that can be done.
2016 November 17, Mandy Marciniak, “President Trump? Really?”, in The Frontenac Gazette, Frontenac, ON, page 11You know we're in the darkest timeline when there are multimillion-dollar corporations roleplaying as people working through a depressive episode.
2019 February 19, Jordan Levy, “Parodying people for profit: When brands act like one of us”, in The Daily Targum, Rutgers University, page 8Synonyms: worst timeline, the bad place
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe circumstances of the present moment in history, viewed as bleak, frightening, ridiculous, or the worst of all possibilities.
Origin
Referencing the episode "Remedial Chaos Theory" (2011) of the sitcom Community, which depicts seven alternate universes resulting from a die roll to decide which friend should collect a pizza delivery, including "The Darkest Timeline" in which chaos and destruction ensue.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
darkest timeline. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/darkest%20timeline
“darkest timeline.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/darkest%20timeline. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “darkest timeline,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/darkest%20timeline.
Source: darkest timeline on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.