dusky
Americanadjective
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somewhat dark; having little light; dim; shadowy.
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Older Use: Chiefly Literary. having dark skin.
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of a dark color.
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gloomy; sad.
adjective
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dark in colour; swarthy or dark-skinned
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dim
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dusky
Explanation
Something that's dusky is dark or poorly lit, like the dusky walk home from your friend's house at twilight. You can also use this adjective to describe a darker shade of a particular color, like your grandpa's favorite dusky pink roses or the dusky blue of the sky over the ocean just before a storm. Dusky and dusk, or the time just after the sun sets in the evening, come from the Middle English dosc, "obscure, tending to darkness, or shadowy."
Vocabulary lists containing dusky
Lights Out: Synonyms for "Dark"
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Selection Vocabulary 1, Unit 4
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I Survived the California Wildfires, 2018
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ann told him his name was Patrick Dusky and that Cunnah was "his spit" .
From BBC • Feb. 17, 2026
To determine whether a defendant meets the Dusky standards of competency, the court appoints an expert to conduct a forensic evaluation.
From Scientific American • Aug. 17, 2023
The Dusky standard for example only came about in the 1960s through a U.S.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 7, 2023
I first came across your baking on your Instagram and blog, The Dusky Kitchen.
From Salon • Mar. 7, 2023
The Dusky Devastators of the Depression had put their money together and had bought me a baby-size horn like Steady Eddie’s saxophone!
From "Bud, Not Buddy" by Christopher Paul Curtis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
