darkly
Americanadverb
-
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.
Etymology
Origin of darkly
before 1000; Middle English derkly, Old English deorclīce (in figurative sense only). See dark, -ly
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.
Its baroque, acoustic sounds of a pastoral countryside in ye olde England mesh disturbingly well with softly sung, darkly opaque lyrics.
From Salon • Jun. 5, 2026
Current utilizers of the smaller cut include the buzzy Vanderbilt heir Belle Burden’s “Strangers,” George Saunders’ darkly humorous “Vigil” Lena Dunham’s millennial-tinged tell-all “Famesick” and the infamously tablet-sized “Transcription” from Ben Lerner.
From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026
I often joked darkly that I was a cat with only so many lives left.
From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026
A self-assured, naive young woman joins a dysfunctional theater company in Beryl Bainbridge’s darkly comic novel of mishaps and maturity.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
“I knowed it,” she muttered darkly without a hint of what it was she knew.
From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson
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.
