dusky

American  

[duhs-kee] / ˈdʌs ki /

adjective

duskier, duskiest

1. somewhat dark; having little light; dim; shadowy.

2. Older Use: Chiefly Literary. having dark skin.

3. of a dark color.

4. gloomy; sad.

---

dusky British  

/ ˈdʌskɪ /

adjective

1. dark in colour; swarthy or dark-skinned

2. dim

---

Other Word Forms

• duskily adverb
• duskiness noun

Etymology

Origin of dusky

First recorded in 1550–60; dusk ² + -y ¹

Example Sentences

"The food in Malaysia was really nice and I got to see these monkeys; they're called dusky leaf monkeys. They're so cheeky – they once stole my banana," he said.

From BBC

A lopsided moon popped up in the dusky sky, but it didn’t shed light on any Wonders.

From Literature

Three towers, each topped with a dome in dusky pink, gave it a look of wit and knowing intelligence, and its vast arched windows with their broad sills gave it solidity and purpose.

From Literature

Even so, the kaleidoscope of tales and vignettes, and the blurring of the banal with the macabre, produces a dusky, dreamlike atmosphere that envelopes one’s thoughts like a fine mist.

From The Wall Street Journal

What I was really craving, I realized, was the dusky, spiced intensity of another fall icon: apple butter.

From Salon

Related Words

• smoky