dark

Formsdarker, darkest

Formsdarks, darking, darked

1. 1
   adjective

   Having little or no light, either because light does not reach a place or because its lamps or lights are not on.

   The cave grew completely dark once we rounded the bend.

   A dark hallway stretched ahead, lit only by a faint glow under one door.

   UsageFor nightfall, say it gets dark or it's getting dark; pitch-dark means completely dark.

   Similardim, unlit, black, murky, shadowy

   Oppositelight, bright, lit, illuminated

   Note

   It is usually relative rather than absolute. A room can be too dark for reading long before it is pitch-black. Edward Bulwer-Lytton's Paul Clifford (1830) opens on its most famous use: "It was a dark and stormy night." Source

   Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

   • Edward Bulwer-Lytton wrote Paul Clifford. en.wikipedia.org
   • Paul Clifford was first published in 1830, as shown on its first-edition title page. en.wikisource.org
   • The novel's opening narrative words are “It was a dark and stormy night”. en.wikisource.org
2. 2
   deep coloradjective

   Deeper or duller in shade; not bright or pale in color.

   The walls were painted a dark shade of crimson.

   Her dark hair shone against the pale linen of the pillow.

   UsageOften before a color word: dark blue, dark green, dark red.

   Similardeep, dull, muted, dusky, inky

   Oppositebright, light, pale

3. 3
   adjective

   Lacking moral or spiritual goodness; sinister or malevolent.

   A dark impulse seemed to drive his cruelest decisions.

   The novel explores the dark urges hidden in otherwise ordinary people.

   UsageCommon in a dark side, dark forces and dark urges.

   Similarevil, sinister, malevolent, malign, wicked

   Oppositegood, virtuous, benevolent

4. 4
   grim outlookadjective

   Gloomy, sad or without hope, as of a time, mood or outlook, especially after something tragic: dark days; a dark picture of the year ahead.

   Economists painted a dark picture of the coming year.

   Her thoughts turned dark whenever she considered the long road ahead.

   UsageOften paint a dark picture of something; thoughts or moods turn dark.

   Similargloomy, bleak, grim, dismal, somber

   Oppositebright, hopeful, cheerful, rosy

5. 5
   absence of lightnoununcountable

   A complete or partial absence of light.

   He stumbled in the dark, searching for the lamp on the table.

   Owls hunt easily in the dark using their sharp hearing.

   UsageMost often with the: in the dark, afraid of the dark.

   Similargloom, blackness, murk

   Oppositelight, daylight

   Note

   It is usually uncountable and most at home after the, as in Shakespeare's King Lear: "Here stood he in the dark." Margery Allingham's "narrow slits of dark" uses it with no article at all, almost as a substance. Source

   Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

   • “Here stood he in the dark” occurs in Shakespeare's King Lear; Edmund speaks these words in Act 2, scene 1. folger.edu
   • Margery Allingham uses the phrase “narrow slits of dark”, without an article before dark, in The China Governess. fadedpage.com
6. 6
   grim (story)adjective

   Emphasizing the unpleasant and macabre aspects of life, said of a story, film, or similar work.

   Critics praised the show's dark humor and grim subject matter.

   His later novels took a dark turn toward horror and despair.

   UsageCommon in dark humor, dark comedy and take a dark turn.

   Similarblack, grim, macabre, morbid, bleak

   Oppositelight, lighthearted, upbeat

7. 7
   adjective

   Of a person, having brown or black hair or eyes, or a brown or black skin tone.

   He was dark and slender, with deep brown eyes that missed nothing.

   Both parents are fair, yet their youngest child is noticeably darker than the others.

   UsageCan be vague: dark-haired, dark-eyed or dark-skinned make clear which feature you mean.

   Oppositefair

   Note

   The word covers hair, eyes and skin at once, so it can be vague: the old phrase tall, dark and handsome usually means dark hair. Source

   Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

   • “Tall, dark and handsome” is a long-established phrase. en.wikipedia.org
8. 8
   nightfallnoununcountable

   The onset of night; nightfall.

   They reached the campsite just before dark.

   In winter the streets empty quickly after dark.

   UsageMost often with no article: before dark, after dark, until dark. Compare in the dark, meaning without light.

   Similarnightfall, dusk, sundown, sunset

   Oppositedawn, daybreak, sunrise

9. 9
   adjective

   Temporarily out of operation or use, as when closed, turned off, or no longer in contact.

   Most Broadway houses went dark for more than a year during the shutdown.

   The suspect's social media accounts have been dark since March.

   UsageUsually go dark or be dark: the theater is dark on Mondays.

   Similarclosed, inactive, silent

   Oppositeactive

   Note

   Theater offers a familiar example: a house goes dark when no show is running, and a dark night is one with no performance. The word also covers anything switched off or silent, such as a radio station that has gone off the air. In security and intelligence talk, going dark means cutting off communication or becoming impossible to monitor, usually on purpose.

10. 10
    not knowingnoununcountable

    A lack of knowledge or awareness; ignorance.

    Management kept employees in the dark about the merger.

    Voters were left in the dark regarding the real costs of the plan.

    UsageAlmost always in the dark: keep or leave someone in the dark about something.

    Similarignorance

    Oppositeknowledge

    Note

    Ignorance is pictured as unlit space, and the sense lives almost entirely inside the phrase in the dark: kept in the dark, left in the dark as to why. John Locke writes that until we understand for ourselves "we are as much in the dark … as before." Source

    Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

    • John Locke wrote the quoted words about remaining ignorant until we understand for ourselves. en.wikisource.org
11. 11
    secretadjective

    Marked by or carried out in secrecy.

    The agency ran dark operations far from any public oversight.

    The company kept its merger plans dark, telling only a handful of senior staff.

    UsageOften keep something dark; you keep a matter dark but keep a person in the dark.

    Similarsecret, hidden, clandestine, concealed, private

    Oppositeopen, public, transparent

    Note

    Secrecy is pictured as a kind of shadow: what is dark is kept out of sight. P. G. Wodehouse's Leave It to Psmith (1923) shows the idiom keep it dark from someone, meaning to hide a matter from one particular person. Shakespeare's King Lear already speaks of "our darker purpose," and the compound dark money still carries the sense. Source

    Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

    • P. G. Wodehouse wrote Leave It to Psmith, first published in 1923. en.wikipedia.org
    • The novel uses keep it dark from someone to mean concealing something from a particular person; Mr. Keeble addresses Clarence about Connie. gutenberg.org
    • Shakespeare's King Lear contains the words our darker purpose, spoken by Lear in Act 1, scene 1. folger.edu

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