dark
having very little or no light: a dark room.
radiating, admitting, or reflecting little light: a dark color.
approaching black in hue: a dark brown.
not pale or fair; swarthy: a dark complexion.
brunette; dark-colored: dark eyebrows.
having brunette hair: She's dark but her children are blond.
(of coffee) containing only a small amount of milk or cream.
gloomy; cheerless; dismal: the dark days of World War II.
sullen; frowning: a dark expression.
evil; iniquitous; wicked: a dark plot.
destitute of knowledge or culture; unenlightened.
hard to understand; obscure.
hidden; secret.
silent; reticent.
(of a theater) offering no performances; closed: The theaters in this town are dark on Sundays.
Phonetics.
(of an l-sound) having back-vowel resonance; situated after a vowel in the same syllable.: Compare clear (def. 24a).
(of a speech sound) of dull quality; acoustically damped.
the absence of light; darkness: I can't see well in the dark.
night; nightfall: Please come home before dark.
a dark place.
a dark color.
to make dark; darken.
Obsolete. to grow dark; darken.
Idioms about dark
in the dark,
in ignorance; uninformed: He was in the dark about their plans for the evening.
in secrecy; concealed; obscure.
keep dark, to keep as a secret; conceal: They kept their political activities dark.
Origin of dark
1synonym study For dark
Other words for dark
Opposites for dark
| 1 | lighted |
| 2 | bright |
| 8 | cheerful |
| 9 | pleasant |
| 12 | clear |
Other words from dark
- non·dark, adjective
- pre·dark, adjective
Words Nearby dark
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use dark in a sentence
The issue from a search marketing perspective with this new dark mode is that the ads are a bit harder to distinguish from the organic listings.
Google goes dark theme and passage ranking sees the light: Friday’s daily brief | Barry Schwartz | February 12, 2021 | Search Engine LandIt is much harder to see the “Ad” label in the Google dark theme than it is in the light theme.
Google Search dark theme mode expands but search ads are hard to distinguish | Barry Schwartz | February 11, 2021 | Search Engine LandSometimes my day is crazy and I can’t get outside until it’s dark.
5 Pieces of Gear That Help Me Stay Active During Winter | Jakob Schiller | February 11, 2021 | Outside OnlineThe dark debris deposits along the path, as well as the still-settling clouds of dust, are telltale signs of a landslide, researchers say.
Three things to know about the disastrous flood in India | Carolyn Gramling | February 9, 2021 | Science NewsThat cultural change has been driven by founders and investors who want to keep their startups stealthy and their competitors in the dark about where their finances are.
He wore white gloves, a dignified long black coat, and matching pants and vest, and he carried a dark walking stick.
The Black Man Who Replaced Jefferson Davis in the Senate | Philip Dray | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTI thought about the mother, her fear of the dark, of the harm she feared might come to her daughters.
I Tried to Warn You About Sleazy Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2003 | Vicky Ward | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTThen she managed to struggle a mile through dark, rainy woods.
The 7-Year-Old Plane Crash Survivor’s Brutal Journey Through the Woods | James Higdon | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTThese are dark times for network TV, but experiments like Galavant are the silver lining.
Luke Skywalker is an evil robot who has fallen to the dark side of the force.
Juiciest ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Rumors (and Some Debunked Ones) | Rich Goldstein | January 3, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTRipperda's eye fell upon the mantle,—it was discoloured a dark red in many places, he nodded his head, and the man withdrew.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane PorterHe glanced aside, and saw an exceedingly pretty, dark face, which looked vaguely familiar.
Rosemary in Search of a Father | C. N. WilliamsonDown in his galleries and chambers where it was dark as a pocket Grandfather Mole enjoyed himself thoroughly.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole | Arthur Scott BaileyHis dark, shining, almost too intelligent eyes looked at Nigel, and looked away.
Bella Donna | Robert HichensThe seeds of some species are of a dark brown while others are of a lighter shade.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.
British Dictionary definitions for dark
/ (dɑːk) /
having little or no light: a dark street
(of a colour) reflecting or transmitting little light: dark brown Compare light 1 (def. 29), medium (def. 2)
(of complexion, hair colour, etc) not fair or blond; swarthy; brunette
(in combination): dark-eyed
gloomy or dismal
sinister; evil: a dark purpose
sullen or angry: a dark scowl
ignorant or unenlightened: a dark period in our history
secret or mysterious: keep it dark
phonetics denoting an (l) pronounced with a velar articulation giving back vowel resonance. In English, l is usually dark when final or preconsonantal: Compare light 1 (def. 30)
go dark stock exchange informal (of a company) to remove itself from the register of major exchanges while continuing to trade
absence of light; darkness
night or nightfall
a dark place, patch, or shadow
a state of ignorance (esp in the phrase in the dark)
an archaic word for darken
Origin of dark
1Derived forms of dark
- darkish, adjective
- darkly, adverb
- darkness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with dark
In addition to the idioms beginning with dark
- darken someone's door
- dark horse
also see:
- in the dark
- keep someone in the dark
- leap in the dark
- shot in the dark
- whistle in the dark
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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