Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Lacking light; with little or no illumination: The primary meaning, describing a place or time where there is an absence of light.
   • Of a deep color; not light or pale: Describing a color that is deep, strong, or not approaching white.
   • Gloomy, depressing, or dismal: Characterized by or causing sadness, melancholy, or a lack of cheer.
   • Sinister, evil, or wicked: Associated with malevolence, bad intentions, or moral corruption.
   • Secret, hidden, or mysterious: Not known or revealed; kept concealed.
   • Lacking knowledge or enlightenment; ignorant: Characterized by an absence of intellectual or spiritual light.

2. Noun:

   • The absence of light; darkness: The state or quality of being dark.
   • Night; the time of day when there is no light: The period after sunset and before sunrise.
   • A place or area that is not illuminated: A shadowy or unlit spot.
   • A state of ignorance or secrecy: A condition of not knowing or understanding something.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • It was too dark to read without a lamp. (Describing absence of light)
  • She painted the wall a dark blue. (Describing a deep color)
  • He was in a dark mood after hearing the news. (Describing a gloomy state of mind)
  • The story had a dark and twisted plot. (Describing something sinister)
  • They made a dark pact. (Describing a secret agreement)
  • It was a dark period in the country's history. (Describing a time of ignorance or barbarism)

• Noun:

  • The child was afraid of the dark. (Referring to the absence of light)
  • The cat prowled in the dark. (Referring to the nighttime or an unlit area)
  • He kept his plans in the dark. (Referring to a state of secrecy)

Advanced Usage

• "the dark": Used to refer to nighttime or a state of ignorance/secrecy.

  • Animals come out after the dark.
  • We are completely in the dark about the merger.

• "dark horse": A person about whom little is known, especially one who unexpectedly wins or succeeds.

  • The young candidate was a dark horse in the election.

• "dark side": The evil, malevolent, or negative aspect of a person, thing, or concept.

  • The film explores the dark side of human nature.

Variants and Related Words

• Darken (verb): To make or become dark or darker.

  • The sky began to darken before the storm.

• Darkly (adverb): In a dark, gloomy, or ominous manner.

  • He chuckled darkly.

• Darkness (noun): The state or quality of being dark; the complete absence of light.

  • The power outage plunged the city into darkness.

Synonyms

• Adjective (lack of light): Unlit, shadowy, dim, black.
• Adjective (color): Deep, rich, dusky.
• Adjective (gloomy): Bleak, dismal, somber, melancholy.
• Adjective (evil): Sinister, wicked, malevolent, nefarious.
• Noun: Gloom, obscurity, night.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• In the dark: Uninformed or unaware about something.

  • The employees were kept in the dark about the layoffs.

• A shot in the dark: A wild guess; an attempt with little chance of success.

  • My answer was just a shot in the dark.

• Dark comedy / dark humor: Comedy that derives humor from morbid, serious, or taboo subjects.

  • The film is a brilliant piece of dark comedy.

• Before dark: Prior to nightfall.

  • We need to get home before dark.

• After dark: Following nightfall.

  • The park is closed after dark.

Adjective

1. not giving performances; closed
   • the theater is dark on Mondays
2. having skin rich in melanin pigments
   • National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
   • dark-skinned peoples
3. causing dejection
   • a blue day
   • the dark days of the war
   • a week of rainy depressing weather
   • a disconsolate winter landscape
   • the first dismal dispiriting days of November
   • a dark gloomy day
   • grim rainy weather
4. marked by difficulty of style or expression
   • much that was dark is now quite clear to me
   • those who do not appreciate Kafka's work say his style is obscure
5. lacking enlightenment or knowledge or culture
   • this benighted country
   • benighted ages of barbarism and superstition
   • the dark ages
   • a dark age in the history of education
6. showing a brooding ill humor
   • a dark scowl
   • the proverbially dour New England Puritan
   • a glum, hopeless shrug
   • he sat in moody silence
   • a morose and unsociable manner
   • a saturnine, almost misanthropic young genius- Bruce Bliven
   • a sour temper
   • a sullen crowd
7. secret
   • keep it dark
8. stemming from evil characteristics or forces; wicked or dishonorable
   • black deeds
   • a black lie
   • his black heart has concocted yet another black deed
   • Darth Vader of the dark side
   • a dark purpose
   • dark undercurrents of ethnic hostility
   • the scheme of some sinister intelligence bent on punishing him-Thomas Hardy
9. brunet (used of hair or skin or eyes)
   • dark eyes
10. (used of color) having a dark hue
    • dark green
    • dark glasses
    • dark colors like wine red or navy blue
11. devoid of or deficient in light or brightness; shadowed or black
    • sitting in a dark corner
    • a dark day
    • dark shadows
    • dark as the inside of a black cat

Noun

1. an unenlightened state
   • he was in the dark concerning their intentions
   • his lectures dispelled the darkness
2. the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
3. an unilluminated area
   • he moved off into the darkness
4. absence of moral or spiritual values
   • the powers of darkness
5. absence of light or illumination