the Dark Ages

plural noun

1

: the period of European history from about A.D. 500 to 1000 : the first 500 years of the Middle Ages

2

or the dark ages often humorous : the period of time before things developed into their modern form

In the dark ages before computers, we often wrote our letters by hand.

Her father's ideas about women are from the Dark Ages.

Examples of the Dark Ages in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Previous seasons covered the Oregon Trail and the Dark Ages. —Breanna Bell, Variety, 21 Nov. 2023

Despite claiming to be able to replace a smartphone, the Humane AI Pin is going back to the Dark Ages and not supporting any apps. —Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, 10 Nov. 2023

Polanski and his family are in Krakow, a city from the Dark Ages named after a man murdered by his brother. —Matt Thompson, Spin, 10 Sep. 2023

In an alternate 2002, a computer virus killed the internet and crashed the power grid, plunging the U.S. back into the Dark Ages. —Time, 27 July 2023

To date, no observatory, whether the James Webb in space or HERA in South Africa, has detected the Dark Ages, the Cosmic Dawn, or the Epoch of Reionization. —Popular Mechanics, 19 July 2023

The linkage of the 2020s with the Dark Ages feels cautionary. —Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 12 July 2023

It's set in the Dark Ages when a mysterious mist prevents citizens from forming long-term memories. —Lizz Schumer, goodhousekeeping.com, 16 May 2023

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