darkness

[ dahrk-nis ]

noun

1. the state or quality of being dark:

   The room was in total darkness.

2. absence or deficiency of light:

   the darkness of night.

3. wickedness or evil:

   Satan, the prince of darkness.

4. obscurity; concealment:

   The darkness of the metaphor destroyed its effectiveness.

5. lack of knowledge or enlightenment:

   heathen darkness.

6. lack of sight; blindness.

Other Word Forms

• pre·darkness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of darkness¹

First recorded before 1050; Middle English derknesse, Old English deorcnysse; equivalent to dark + -ness

Example Sentences

Her Coachella set stared down repugnance and pushed against it, radiating so brightly it consumed the darkness, if only for a night.

From Salon

In full drag regalia, they unflinchingly confront the encroaching darkness with a theatrical exuberance that says, “I’m here, my eyes are open and I care.”

From Los Angeles Times

We are learning a grim lesson: Democracies don’t necessarily die in darkness but in the sunlight of outright defiance of the law by a president charged with its enforcement.

From Salon

"Much of our human identity rests with darkness."

From Salon

The IDF initially said its troops fired on "suspicious vehicles" driving in darkness with their headlights and emergency lights off.

From BBC

Related Words

• bleakness
• despair
• despondency
• dysphoria
• gloom
• grimness
• melancholy
• morbidity
• negativity