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dark

1 of 3

adjective

ˈdärk

darker;darkest

Synonyms ofdark next

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

adark room

:transmitting only a portion of light

dark glasses

:wholly or partially black

dark clothing

of a color:of low or very low lightness

dark blue

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

dark rum

:arising from or showing evil traits or desires:evil

thedark powers that lead to war

:dismal,gloomy

had adark view of the future

:lacking knowledge or culture:unenlightened

adark period in history

:relating togrim or depressing circumstances

dark humor

:not clear to the understanding

:not known or explored because of remoteness

thedarkest reaches of the continent

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

dark hair

adark complexion

:secret

kept his plansdark

:possessing depth and richness

adark voice

:closed to the public

the theater isdark in the summer

darkish

ˈdär-kish

adjective

darklyadverb

dark

2 of 3

noun

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

get home beforedark

:absence of light:darkness

afraid of thedark

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

—usually plural

a painter who uses a lot ofdarks

darks plural:clothing that is dark in color

separated thedarks and the lights before starting the laundry

dark

3 of 3

verb

darked;darking;darks

intransitive verb

obsolete:to grow dark (seedarkentry 1)

transitive verb

:to make dark

Phrases

in the dark

:in secrecy

most of his dealings were donein the dark

:in ignorance

kept the publicin the dark about the agreement

go dark

:to become dark

The room suddenlywent dark.

:to stop operating or functioning:to shut down

Most Salt Lake City restaurantsgo dark on Sundays …—

Kurt Repanshek

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

Stephen Baker

In the end, the heart stops, the cells die, the neuronsgo dark …—

Joshua Ferris

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

Noun

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Choose the Right Synonym fordark

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.

muttereddark hints of revenge

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

avague 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.

anambiguous directive

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

moral precepts withequivocal phrasing

Examples ofdark in a Sentence

Adjective She sat in thedark room alone. Soon it will bedark enough to see the stars. It was adark and stormy night.Dark clouds of smoke were coming from the windows. She's wearing adark suit to the interview. a man wearingdark clothing You've gotdark circles under your eyes this morning.dark spots on the skinNoun He's 12 years old and still afraid ofthe dark. The burglars hid inthe dark between the two buildings. He bought the kids special rings that glow inthe dark. We'd better get home beforedark. They waited untilafter dark to begin their escape. He uses lots ofdarks in his decorating. Wash the lights and thedarks separately.

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage.Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.Send us feedback.

Adjective

The Page Turner sees the Page family consumed by the literary world — each in their own way — as itsdark, foundational secret runs the risk of exposure.—

Rachel Raposas,People.com, 4 Apr. 2025While the app only wentdarkfor a matter of a day or so in the U.S., it was removed from the Apple and Google app stores for weeks, because federal law could have seen Apple or Google penalized for distributing it.—

David Phelan,Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025

Noun

Avoid traveling afterdarkin Kenya due to crime and poor traffic safety.—

Dan Perry,Newsweek, 18 Mar. 2025Cara Delevingne Cara Delevingne also wore a black aviator jacket, instead pairing it with a white scoop-neck top, wide-legdarkwash jeans and black loafers.—

Hannah Malach,WWD, 13 Feb. 2025

Verb

Those deer, which have changed from the color of milk chocolate todark, 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. 2025Snow covered the ground, temps hovered around freezing, and Brooks sat fromdarkto dark on Dec. 30 without a whiff of the bull.—

Natalie Krebs,Outdoor Life, 13 Mar. 2025See All Example Sentences fordark