darkness

[ dahrk-nis ]

/ ˈdɑrk nɪs /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for darkness on Thesaurus.com

noun

the state or quality of being dark: The room was in total darkness.

absence or deficiency of light: the darkness of night.

wickedness or evil: Satan, the prince of darkness.

obscurity; concealment: The darkness of the metaphor destroyed its effectiveness.

lack of knowledge or enlightenment: heathen darkness.

lack of sight; blindness.

QUIZ

GOOSES. GEESES. I WANT THIS QUIZ ON PLURAL NOUNS!

Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.

Question 1 of 9

Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of darkness

before 1050; Middle English derknesse,Old English deorcnysse.See dark, -ness

OTHER WORDS FROM darkness

pre·dark·ness, noun

Words nearby darkness

dark matter, dark meat, dark mineral, dark money, dark nebula, darkness, dark of the moon, dark reaction, darkroom, dark slide, darksome

How to use darkness in a sentence

The shadows resemble the lines of darkness, known as crepuscular rays, that you’ll often see around clouds lit from behind by the sun.
These Images Expose the Dark Side of the Solar System - Issue 89: The Dark Side|Corey S. Powell|August 26, 2020|Nautilus
The Darth Vader density distribution is so highly packed on the four- or five-level of darkness, but it doesn’t mean that he can’t every now and then have these moments where things slip through, and he saves his son’s life, who he cares about.
Are You Yoda or Darth Vader? - Issue 89: The Dark Side|Brian Gallagher|August 26, 2020|Nautilus
Failing to pass another round could mean “we’re going back into the economic darkness, we’re going back into recession,” he declares.
Is the economy about to head backwards?|Anne Sraders|August 21, 2020|Fortune
It’s an old saying that you can’t have light without darkness, and for the universe it’s also very much true that you can’t have darkness without light.
The Universe Has Made Almost All the Stars It Will Ever Make - Issue 89: The Dark Side|Caleb Scharf|August 19, 2020|Nautilus

You take your seat just in time and wait for the darkness to swallow you up.
The first murder|Katie McLean|August 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review
And then that chorus kicks in, and the young lady formerly known as Lizzy Grant transforms into the princess of darkness.
The 14 Best Songs of 2014: Bobby Shmurda, Future Islands, Drake, and More|Marlow Stern|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Light trumps darkness, hope beats despair, grace wins over sin, love defeats hate, life conquers death,” the cardinal said.
'Please Don't Die!': The Frantic Battle to Save Murdered Cops|Michael Daly|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The city of Stanleyville—now called Kisangani—was a majestic port city as deep as one can go into the Heart of Darkness.
The Congo's Forgotten Colonial Getaway|Nina Strochlic|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But when the darkness closes in, we actually run to fairy tales and fables.
On Torture, Chuck Johnson & Sondheim|James Poulos|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was kept in total darkness, kept cold, had music blasted at him and was shackled and hooded.
Inside the CIA’s Sadistic Dungeon|Tim Mak|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A few, very few, little dots had run back over that green patch—the others had passed down into the world of darkness.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
In the darkness and confusion I did not distinguish the face of the man who rendered me this assistance.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
The sudden pall of darkness in this strange house of mystery was just a tiny bit awesome.
The Boarded-Up House|Augusta Huiell Seaman
Thus night fell, and darkness settled down about him, relieved only by the red glow of the logs smouldering on the hearth.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
He thus decoyed them away, and the fortunate couple were enabled to reach the British lines under cover of the darkness.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy