darkness

[ dahrk-nis ]

/ ˈdɑrk nɪs /

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.

Nearby words

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

Related formspre·dark·ness, noun

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
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
They pulled up in unmarked cars and on motorcycles, appearing en masse out of the darkness.
Eric Garner Protests: ‘It’s Like Vietnam’|Abby Haglage, Caitlin Dickson, Jacob Siegel, Chris Allbritton|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Instead, it would return European civilization back to a period of darkness not witnessed since the Middle Ages.
How WWI Produced the Holocaust|J.P. O’Malley|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was not an easy business to let any glimmer of spiritual light in upon the darkness of that sordid mind.
Fenton's Quest|M. E. Braddon
For an hour he stood in the darkness and tried to think things out.
Marching Men|Sherwood Anderson
Since King David's time, we all know the power of music to dispel the spirits of darkness.
The Catholic World, Vol. X, October 1869|Various
Already our man had gone round the gallery and the corridor was all in darkness.
The Hound of the Baskervilles|A. Conan Doyle
A figure, seen indistinctly in the darkness, stood before her.
From Canal Boy to President|Horatio Alger, Jr.