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Synonyms

darkly

American  
[dahrk-lee] / ˈdɑrk li /

adverb

  1. so as to appear dark.

  2. vaguely; mysteriously.

  3. in a vaguely threatening or menacing manner.

    He hinted darkly that we had not heard the last of the matter.

  4. 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.

While darkly amusing, this is genuinely dangerous; movements that believe themselves to be comprehensively infiltrated tend to radicalize further and faster.

From Salon • Apr. 25, 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

Sometimes it gets more horrific or even darkly comic.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026

“Gits,” said Ron darkly, watching Fred and George setting off across the snowy yard.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

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.