dark Hear it!

dark Definition

dark (därk)

adjective

    1. entirely or partly without light
    2. neither giving nor receiving light
  2. ☆ giving no performance; closed this theater is dark tonight
    1. almost black
    2. not light in color; deep in shade
  4. not fair in complexion; brunet or swarthy
  5. hidden; secret
  6. not easily understood; hard to make clear; obscure
  7. gloomy; hopeless; dismal
  8. angry or sullen responding to criticism with dark looks
  9. evil; sinister
  10. ignorant; unenlightened
  11. deep and rich, with a melancholy sound
  12. Phonet. back: said of vowels

Etymology: ME derk < OE deorc, gloomy, cheerless < IE *dherg- < base *dher-, dirty, somber > dregs

noun

  1. the state of being dark
  2. night; nightfall
  3. a dark color or shade

transitive verb, intransitive verb

Obsolete to darken

dark Related Forms

dark′·ish adjective dark′ly adverb dark′·ness noun

dark Idioms

in the dark

uninformed; ignorant

keep dark

to keep secret or hidden

dark Synonyms

dark

modif.

  1. Lacking brightness

    unlighted, unlit, dim, dusky, murky, gloomy, shadowy, somber, cloudy, foggy, sunless, lightless, indistinct, dull, faint, vague, misty, darkish, deep, drab, dingy, obscure, nebulous, shady, shaded, clouded, darkened, overcast, lowering, Cimmerian, opaque, crepuscular, Stygian, without light, tenebrous, bereft of light, ill-lighted, inky, pitch-dark, black, darkling*, darksome*, pitchy*; see also black 1, dull 2, hazy 1.

    Antonyms bright*, light*, illuminated. *

  2. Dismal

    gloomy, hopeless, cheerless, sullen; see dismal 1, sullen.

  3. Not known

    cryptic, hidden, mysterious; see obscure 3, secret 1.

  4. Lacking light for the future

    sinister, foreboding, unpropitious; see ominous.

  5. Dark in complexion

    brunet, brunette, swarthy, tan, black, Negro, Negroid, dusky, sable, dark-skinned, dark-haired, dark-complexioned, nonwhite, colored, Indian, melanous; see also African 2, black 3.

  6. Ignorant

    unenlightened, unread, uncultivated; see ignorant 2.

  7. Evil

    sinister, iniquitous, immoral, corrupt; see wicked 1.

dark, the general word in this comparison, denotes a partial or complete absence of light a dark night; dim implies so little light that objects can be seen only indistinctly dim shapes in the shadows, the dim light of the moon; dusky suggests the grayish, shadowy light of twilight a dusky winter evening; murky now usually suggests the thick, heavy darkness of fog or smoke-filled air the murky ruins of a temple; gloomy suggests a cloudy, cheerless darkness a gloomy forest

dark Synonyms

dark

n.

  1. Darkness

    gloom, murk, duskiness; see darkness 1.

  2. Night

    nighttime, nightfall, evening; see night 1.

in the dark

uninformed, in ignorance, unaware, naive; see ignorant 1.

keep dark

conceal, keep secret, obscure; see hide 1.

dark Usage Examples

Adjective modifier

  • Very: Could be dark... Very dark... Even darker than this!
  • tall: One of them was a tall dark Russian Communist with narrow slit eyes of a semi-Asiatic.

Modifies a noun

  • cloud: The dark clouds of the horrors of war often seem to have a silver lining in the selfless heroism of individuals.
  • hair: Large tears ran down her face matting long dark hair to grubby cheeks.
  • chocolate: Helena: They do eat chocolate but they will tend to eat dark chocolate.
  • gray: Males tend to be dark gray or brown with a few pale patches.
  • side: There is a dark side to all sections of society.
  • shadow: They fought to prevent the Code Napoleon casting its dark shadow of oppression over this nation.

Used with adjective complement

  • appear: By comparison, the tartan must have appeared pretty dark.
  • grow: Now the sun dipped and the roads grew dark.
  • seem: This is another good-looking transfer although it seems darker than the other two.
  • get: For a few precious minutes it gets dark in the middle of the day.
  • become: Finally, allow at least 5-10 minutes for your eyes to become properly dark adapted.

Noun used with modifier

  • pitch: In the pitch dark we started our descent, only having green paint on some of the rocks to guide us down.
  • dungeon: For now into this prison strong, In fetters I do lie, Confined into a dungeon dark, By men condemned to die.
  • bit: John Harris Friday November 18, 2005 The Guardian Bit dark in here isn't it?

Preposition: before

dawn: Perhaps, right now, we're in the dark before the dawn.

Modifying Another Word

deliciously: From the writer of the hit film Calendar Girls, comes The Safari Party, a deliciously dark comedy in three courses.

Preposition: in

color: This ham is traditionally more expensive and darker in color with a richer flavor.

Preposition: of

moon: During the dark of the moon, Elves are reluctant to practice non-clerical magic, including Dream-Weaving.