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dark
The definition of dark is someone or something not light in color, without light or sunshine, gloomy or evil.
(adjective)- An example of dark is a black labrador retriever.
- An example of dark is a house at night without any lights on.
- An example of dark is midnight.
- An example of dark is the time just following the death of a loved one.
- An example of dark is Darth Vader from Star Wars.
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See dark in Webster's New World College Dictionary
adjective
- entirely or partly without light
- neither giving nor receiving light
- ☆ giving no performance; closed: this theater is dark tonight
- almost black
- not light in color; deep in shade
- not fair in complexion; brunet or swarthy
- hidden; secret
- not easily understood; hard to make clear; obscure
- gloomy; hopeless; dismal
- angry or sullen: responding to criticism with dark looks
- evil; sinister
- ignorant; unenlightened
- deep and rich, with a melancholy sound
- Phonet. back: said of vowels
Origin: ME derk < OE deorc, gloomy, cheerless < IE *dherg- < base *dher-, dirty, somber > dregs
noun
- the state of being dark
- night; nightfall
- a dark color or shade
transitive verb, intransitive verb
Obsolete to darken
See dark in American Heritage Dictionary 4
adjective dark·er, dark·est
- a. Lacking or having very little light: a dark corner.b. Lacking brightness: a dark day.
- Reflecting only a small fraction of incident light.
- Of a shade tending toward black in comparison with other shades. Used of a color.
- Having a complexion that is not fair; swarthy.
- Served without milk or cream: dark coffee.
- Characterized by gloom; dismal: took a dark view of the consequences.
- Sullen or threatening: a dark scowl.
- Difficult to understand; obscure: stories that are large in scope and dark in substance.
- Concealed or secret; mysterious: “the dark mysteries of Africa and the fabled wonders of the East” (W. Bruce Lincoln).
- Lacking enlightenment, knowledge, or culture: a dark age in the history of education.
- Exhibiting or stemming from evil characteristics or forces; sinister: “churned up dark undercurrents of ethnic and religious hostility” (Peter Maas).
- Being or characterized by morbid or grimly satiric humor.
- Having richness or depth: a dark, melancholy vocal tone.
- Not giving performances; closed: The movie theater is dark on Mondays.
- Linguistics Pronounced with the back of the tongue raised toward the velum. Used of the sound (l) in words like full.
- Absence of light.
- A place having little or no light.
- Night; nightfall: home before dark.
- A deep hue or color.
Origin:
Origin: Middle English derk
Origin: , from Old English deorc
.Related Forms:
- darkˈish adjective
- darkˈly adverb
- darkˈness noun
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