darkness
Americannoun
-
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.
Other Word Forms
- predarkness noun
Etymology
Origin of darkness
First recorded before 1050; Middle English derknesse, Old English deorcnysse; equivalent to dark + -ness
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.
But the questions the film confronts the viewer with, and the depths of American darkness it plummets to, are brash and critical.
From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026
In the far north of the UK, particularly northern Scotland, there will be close to 19 hours of daylight, with twilight lingering well into the night and barely any true darkness.
From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026
One species, Lepidepecreum myla, was named for a video game character, with the author noting that both 'are just little arthropods trying to survive in total darkness.'
From Science Daily • Mar. 25, 2026
“You’ve got to go through the darkness before you get to the light,” Coach Martins said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026
I startle at the sound of a voice, and then squint into darkness to make out a neighbor leaning out her front door, drying her hands on a dish towel and smiling ruefully in apology.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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.
