Synonyms of darkness

darkness

noun

ˈdärk-nəs 

1

as in dark

a time or place of little or no light

the raiding party snuck up under cover of darkness

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dark
• shadows
• blackness
• night
• dusk
• black
• twilight
• gloom
• midnight
• candlelight
• semidarkness
• murk
• shade
• gloaming
• umbra
• dullness
• blackout
• dimness
• murkiness
• somberness
• grayness
• gloominess
• haziness
• cloudiness
• faintness
• paleness
• half-light
• umbrage
• brownout
• mistiness
• shadiness
• fogginess
• dimout

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• light
• brightness
• glow
• daylight
• day
• glare
• brilliance
• lightness
• sunlight
• blaze
• moonlight
• starlight
• sunshine
• radiance
• shine
• luminescence
• luminosity
• effulgence
• luminance
• radiancy
• incandescence
• luminousness

2

as in ambiguity

the quality or state of having a veiled or uncertain meaning

the darkness of certain passages in the Book of Revelation

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ambiguity
• ambiguousness
• mysteriousness
• mystery
• uncertainty
• murkiness
• opaqueness
• obscurity
• opacity
• nebulousness
• nebulosity
• obliquity
• complexity
• obliqueness
• inscrutability
• equivocation
• dimness
• equivocalness
• depth
• vagueness
• mistiness
• haziness
• inscrutableness
• cloudiness
• indistinctness
• indefiniteness
• faintness
• fuzziness
• fogginess
• incomprehensibility
• impenetrability
• shadow
• shade
• difficulty
• profoundness
• circuity
• deepness
• reconditeness
• obtuseness
• indirectness
• abstruseness
• incomprehensibleness
• complication
• circuitousness
• abstrusity

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• brightness
• clarity
• clearness
• obviousness
• plainness
• certainty
• legibility
• intelligibility
• distinctness
• comprehensibility
• surety
• incision
• lucidity
• openness
• exactness
• visibility
• definiteness
• directness
• perspicuity
• incisiveness
• explicitness
• straightforwardness
• forthrightness
• readability
• self-evidence
• tangibility
• lucidness
• obviousness
• perspicuousness
• palpability
• tangibleness
• readableness

3

as in night

the time from sunset to sunrise when there is no visible sunlight

let's wait for darkness before telling ghost stories

Synonyms & Similar Words

• night
• dark
• nighttime
• midnight
• dusk
• nightfall
• twilight
• evening
• gloaming

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• day
• daytime
• dawn
• sunrise
• daybreak
• morning
• forenoon
• noon
• midday
• sunup
• afternoon
• noonday
• noontide
• noontime
• high noon

4

as in cloud

an overspreading element that produces an atmosphere of gloom

the darkness of that period of my life is best forgotten

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cloud
• pall
• fog
• shadow
• veil
• haze
• shroud
• mist
• mantle
• night
• midnight
• murk
• penumbra
• umbra

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of darkness

With other satellites already congesting the orbit, the quiet darkness of the night sky may soon become a luxury of the past. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 14 July 2026

Two of the Starlink mockups carried cameras for external imaging on the last Starship mission, returning views of the ship set against the ghostly darkness of space. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 14 July 2026

But Johnson’s lasting impact came from an uncanny ability to grab the all-encompassing darkness of his life and pull out jagged shards of beauty. — Steven Johnson, Washington Post, 14 July 2026

The equinox occurs when the sun crosses the celestial equator, bringing nearly equal amounts of daylight and darkness around the world. — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 14 July 2026