Dark Ages

American  

noun

1. the period in European history from about a.d. 476 to about 1000.

2. the whole of the Middle Ages, from about a.d. 476 to the Renaissance.

3. (often lowercase) a period or stage marked by repressiveness, a lack of enlightenment or advanced knowledge, etc.

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Dark Ages British  

plural noun

1. the period from about the late 5th century _ad to about 1000 _ad , once considered an unenlightened period

2. (occasionally) the whole medieval period

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Dark Ages Cultural  

1. A term sometimes applied to the early Middle Ages, the first few centuries after the Fall of Rome. The term suggests prevailing ignorance and barbarism, but there were forces for culture and enlightenment throughout the period.

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Etymology

Origin of Dark Ages

First recorded in 1720–30

Compare meaning

How does dark-ages compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Dark Ages vs. Middle Ages

Example Sentences

Roughly 400,000 years later, after the cosmos cooled enough for atoms to form, it entered a long and quiet phase known as the "Dark Ages."

From Science Daily • Jan. 20, 2026

That would put the Dark Ages monarchs of Europe to shame.

From Salon • Dec. 7, 2024

"It's supposed to be 21st Century and we're living in Dark Ages as far as I'm concerned. It's just beyond ridiculous that people are struggling for place to live."

From BBC • Feb. 9, 2024

But it turns out the Dark Ages was anything but.

From National Geographic • May 25, 2023

It was the Gramarye of the Middle Ages, which some people are accustomed to think of as the Dark Ages, and Arthur had made it what it was.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White