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

The long centuries that followed, which the fourteenth-century Italian poet Petrarch called the Dark Ages, mark the conclusion of Vallejo’s book, a sorry end to an age of cosmopolitan excitement. —Claudia Roth Pierpont, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024

Michelle Yeoh Turned to Karl Lagerfeld’s Namesake Brand for Her Met Gala Outfit For many of those present, before-Instagram times is just another word for the Dark Ages. —Tina Isaac-Goizé, Vogue, 21 June 2023

Much of the background material in the Iliad and the Odyssey clearly references the Mycenaean period (though the narrative core is perhaps reflective of the Dark Ages before the rise of Classical Greece). —Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 6 July 2010

Nobody notices the window is closing on the Dolphins and, if proper measures aren’t taken, the Dark Ages will descend on everyone. —Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 16 Jan. 2024

Topics range from the kind of kissing men like to do (as distinct from women) to what animals can teach us about the kiss to whether or not the true art of kissing was lost sometime in the Dark Ages. —Discover Magazine, 19 Nov. 2019

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