dark

1 of 3

adjective

ˈdärk 

darker; darkest

1

a

: devoid or partially devoid of light : not receiving, reflecting, transmitting, or radiating light

a dark room

b

: transmitting only a portion of light

dark glasses

2

a

: wholly or partially black

dark clothing

b

of a color : of low or very low lightness

dark blue

c

: being less light in color than other substances of the same kind

dark rum

3

a

: arising from or showing evil traits or desires : evil

the dark powers that lead to war

b

: dismal, gloomy

had a dark view of the future

c

: lacking knowledge or culture : unenlightened

a dark period in history

d

: relating to grim or depressing circumstances

dark humor

4

a

: not clear to the understanding

b

: not known or explored because of remoteness

the darkest reaches of the continent

5

: intense in color, coloring, or pigmentation : not light or fair

dark hair

a dark complexion

6

: secret

kept his plans dark

7

: possessing depth and richness

a dark voice

8

: closed to the public

the theater is dark in the summer

darkish

ˈdär-kish 

adjective

darkly adverb

dark

2 of 3

noun

1

a

: a place or time of little or no light : night, nightfall

get home before dark

b

: absence of light : darkness

afraid of the dark

2

a

: a color of low or very low lightness : a dark or deep color

—usually plural

a painter who uses a lot of darks

b

darks plural : clothing that is dark in color

separated the darks and the lights before starting the laundry

dark

3 of 3

verb

darked; darking; darks

intransitive verb

obsolete : to grow dark (see dark entry 1)

transitive verb

: to make dark

Phrases

in the dark

1

: in secrecy

most of his dealings were done in the dark

2

: in ignorance

kept the public in the dark about the agreement

go dark

1

: to become dark

The room suddenly went dark.

2

a

: to stop operating or functioning : to shut down

Most Salt Lake City restaurants go dark on Sundays …

—Kurt Repanshek

Andy Beal was one of 220 million subscribers to Skype … who saw the service go dark on Aug. 16.

—Stephen Baker

In the end, the heart stops, the cells die, the neurons go dark …

—Joshua Ferris

b

communications : to stop broadcasting or transmitting : to go offline

The roosters were just beginning to crow in that lost hour before dawn when Lt. Col. Steve Russell of the Army's 4th Infantry Division ordered his men to "go dark" and roll their Humvees up to the edge of a lone farmhouse here.

—William Booth

Synonyms

Adjective

• dim
• murky
• black

Noun

• shadows
• black
• darkness
• blackness
• night
• dusk
• twilight
• gloom

Choose the Right Synonym for dark

obscure, dark, vague, enigmatic, cryptic, ambiguous, equivocal mean not clearly understandable.

obscure implies a hiding or veiling of meaning through some inadequacy of expression or withholding of full knowledge.

obscure poems

dark implies an imperfect or clouded revelation often with ominous or sinister suggestion.

muttered dark hints of revenge

vague implies a lack of clear formulation due to inadequate conception or consideration.

a vague sense of obligation

enigmatic stresses a puzzling, mystifying quality.

enigmatic occult writings

cryptic implies a purposely concealed meaning.

cryptic hints of hidden treasure

ambiguous applies to language capable of more than one interpretation.

an ambiguous directive

equivocal applies to language left open to differing interpretations with the intention of deceiving or evading.

moral precepts with equivocal phrasing

Examples of dark in a Sentence

Adjective

She sat in the dark room alone.

Soon it will be dark enough to see the stars.

It was a dark and stormy night.

Dark clouds of smoke were coming from the windows.

She's wearing a dark suit to the interview.

a man wearing dark clothing

You've got dark circles under your eyes this morning.

dark spots on the skin

Noun

He's 12 years old and still afraid of the dark.

The burglars hid in the dark between the two buildings.

He bought the kids special rings that glow in the dark.

We'd better get home before dark.

They waited until after dark to begin their escape.

He uses lots of darks in his decorating.

Wash the lights and the darks separately.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Look for bronze or dark spots on the foliage or prominent purple veins. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 9 July 2025

Michigan is home to six dark sky state parks, three international dark sky parks and an international dark sky sanctuary. —Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 9 July 2025

Noun

So the show and now the play is kind of like, maybe a dark PG-13, like an 80s PG-13. —Eliana Dockterman, Time, 1 July 2025

Though most body mists tend to be perfect for day wear, this could easily work after dark too. —Celia Shatzman, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025

Verb

Those deer, which have changed from the color of milk chocolate to dark, break through our makeshift deterrents anyway and eat the yew, euonymus, arborvitae, and this winter, even the holly. —Daryln Brewer Hoffstot Kristian Thacker, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025

Snow covered the ground, temps hovered around freezing, and Brooks sat from dark to dark on Dec. 30 without a whiff of the bull. —Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 13 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Noun, and Verb

Middle English derk, from Old English deorc; akin to Old High German tarchannen to hide

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing dark

• as black/dark as pitch
• a stab in the dark
• cast a (dark) cloud
• dark adaptation
• dark age
• dark chocolate
• dark continent
• dark energy
• dark-eyed junco
• dark field
• dark-field microscope
• dark glasses
• dark horse
• dark kitchen
• dark lantern
• dark matter
• dark meat
• dark reaction
• dark roast
• dark-skinned
• dark web
• go dark
• in the dark
• kept in the dark
• pitch-dark
• shot in the dark
• the dark
• the dark ages
• whistle in the dark

Rhymes for dark

• arc
• ark
• bark
• barque
• hark
• lark
• marc
• mark
• marque
• narc
• quark
• shark

Kids Definition

dark

1 of 2 adjective

ˈdärk 

1

a

: being without light or without much light

in winter it gets dark early

b

: not giving off light

the dark side of the moon

2

: not light in color

a dark suit

dark blue

3

: not bright and cheerful : gloomy

look on the dark side of things

4

: being without knowledge and culture : ignorant

a dark period in history

5

: secret entry 1 sense 1a

kept their plans dark

6

: not clear to the understanding

puzzled us with his dark sayings

darkish

ˈdär-kish 

adjective

darkly

-klē

adverb

darkness

ˈdärk-nəs

noun

dark

2 of 2 noun

1

a

: absence of light : darkness

b

: a place or time of little or no light : night, nightfall

get home before dark

2

: a dark or deep color