darkness

noun

dark·​ness ˈdärk-nəs How to pronounce darkness (audio)
: the quality or state of being dark: such as
a
: the total or near total absence of light
There was almost no light when he opened his eyes again. The darkness of night was thick and for a moment he began to panic again.Gary Paulsen
b(1)
: the quality of being dark in shade or color
the darkness of the old wooden floor
the darkness of these blues and greens
: dark color or colors
In O'Donnell's paintings, darkness pre-dominates. If there are bright colors, they are painted over a deep-hued ground.Richard Kalina
(2)
: the quality of being dark in complexion
Few people know the isolation Owens endured during his childhood in Alexander City, Ala. Other kids teased him mercilessly for the darkness of his skin and his beanpole physique.Jeffri Chadiha
c(1)
: a gloomy or depressed state or tone
I'm not suicidal, clinically depressed, or bipolar, but I am subject to mood swings. … I've tried a number of different mental techniques, mostly prayer, visualization, and meditation, but nothing has worked to lighten my darkness.Will Manley
And the other darkness was a tremendous sorrow, a deep sadness that her mother was dead and that the princess could, now, only talk to her in her dreams.Kate DiCamillo
What, I wondered, did the good man of the cloth make of the reckless humor, the anger and the darkness of those late works?Russell Banks
(2)
: evil
From the same source he drew the picture of a heavenly visitor, a god who comes to earth to impart true knowledge … and save humanity from the powers of darkness.J. Louis Martyn
(3)
: a lack of knowledge or enlightenment
In 1492, the intellectual darkness that shrouded Europe for centuries was slowly, almost grudgingly lifting.Bob Fisher

Examples of darkness in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The race begins at dusk and finishes in the darkness under floodlights. Brad Spurgeon, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2024 This leads to a period of partial or full darkness on a narrow stretch of Earth. Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 2024 This darkness can be akin to twilight or even nightfall, depending on the location and duration of totality. The Arizona Republic, 8 Mar. 2024 Others are reading:How long will the solar eclipse darkness last in your city? The Indianapolis Star, 7 Mar. 2024 The sheriff’s office determined that known factors contributing to the crash included rain conditions, no lighting at the intersection and limited visibility due to darkness during that time of the morning. Fox19, The Enquirer, 6 Mar. 2024 As the trucks arrived, still under the cover of darkness, an Israeli drone filmed the scene from above using a thermal camera. Jonathan Baran, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024 Richard Lewis‘ career has, in some ways, always been defined by his proximity to darkness. Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2024 Gar-Nay’s Winery in Collins will host an adult-only eclipse party at its winery and is excepting around 4 minutes of total darkness during the eclipse. Detroit Free Press, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'darkness.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English derknesse, going back to Old English deorcnysse, from deorc dark entry 1 + -nysse -ness

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of darkness was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near darkness

Cite this Entry

“Darkness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/darkness. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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