darkly
[dahrk-lee]
- so as to appear dark.
- vaguely; mysteriously.
- in a vaguely threatening or menacing manner: He hinted darkly that we had not heard the last of the matter.
- imperfectly; faintly.
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Origin of darkly
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
desperately, sadly, dispiritedly, cynically, darkly, dejectedly, desolately, despairingly, despondently, disconsolately, dismally, emptily, gloomily, pessimistically, covertly, dully, indefinitely, secretly, vaguely, hazilyExamples from the Web for darkly
Contemporary Examples
He looks at me darkly, as if to blame me for the price of movie tickets.
“Well we have a new parliament and there are no excuses left,” he says darkly.
Smart, so smart, and darkly handsome; a practical joker, large-hearted and fun.
But this season he turns down the wattage, playing a darkly serious role in a play said to be about fly-fishing.
Fall Broadway Preview: 'This Is Our Youth,' Bradley Cooper as ‘The Elephant Man,' and MoreJanice Kaplan
September 11, 2014
At the impressive Memorial Museum in Caen there is a darkly lit subterranean section called “France in the Dark Years.”
Historical Examples
Am I so utterly disreputable that you find it necessary to frown on me so darkly?
The Black BagLouis Joseph Vance
He did not know the countenance it masked so darkly, but that same cloak he knew!
A Nest of SpiesPierre Souvestre
In the Spain of to-day these things are seen as through a glass, darkly.
Rosinante to the Road AgainJohn Dos Passos
Albert's face was darkly red under the lash of his grandfather's tongue.
The PortygeeJoseph Crosby Lincoln
"I shall not go to bed, I shall never go to bed," said Charmian darkly.
The Coast of BohemiaWilliam Dean Howells
Word Origin and History for darkly
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper