darkness

noun

dark·​ness ˈdärk-nəs 

: the quality or state of being dark: such as

a

: the total or near total absence of light

There was almost no light when he opened his eyes again. The darkness of night was thick and for a moment he began to panic again.

—Gary Paulsen

b(1)

: the quality of being dark in shade or color

the darkness of the old wooden floor

the darkness of these blues and greens

: dark color or colors

In O'Donnell's paintings, darkness pre-dominates. If there are bright colors, they are painted over a deep-hued ground.

—Richard Kalina

(2)

: the quality of being dark in complexion

Few people know the isolation Owens endured during his childhood in Alexander City, Ala. Other kids teased him mercilessly for the darkness of his skin and his beanpole physique.

—Jeffri Chadiha

c(1)

: a gloomy or depressed state or tone

I'm not suicidal, clinically depressed, or bipolar, but I am subject to mood swings. … I've tried a number of different mental techniques, mostly prayer, visualization, and meditation, but nothing has worked to lighten my darkness.

—Will Manley

And the other darkness was a tremendous sorrow, a deep sadness that her mother was dead and that the princess could, now, only talk to her in her dreams.

—Kate DiCamillo

What, I wondered, did the good man of the cloth make of the reckless humor, the anger and the darkness of those late works?

—Russell Banks

(2)

: evil

From the same source he drew the picture of a heavenly visitor, a god who comes to earth to impart true knowledge … and save humanity from the powers of darkness.

—J. Louis Martyn

(3)

: a lack of knowledge or enlightenment

In 1492, the intellectual darkness that shrouded Europe for centuries was slowly, almost grudgingly lifting.

—Bob Fisher

Synonyms

• black
• blackness
• candlelight
• dark
• dusk
• gloaming
• gloom
• murk
• night
• semidarkness
• shade
• shadows
• twilight
• umbra

Examples of darkness in a Sentence

the raiding party snuck up under cover of darkness

the darkness of certain passages in the Book of Revelation

let's wait for darkness before telling ghost stories

the darkness of that period of my life is best forgotten

Recent Examples on the Web

Blanketed by darkness, a scientist stood near a road in Tibet and shined a flashlight across the nearby tree trunks. —Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 9 May 2024

Is that too much darkness for anyone to contemplate and get their head around? —Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024

In his mind, human civilization is a tiny flickering candle surrounded by a vast expanse of darkness that hasn’t even built a colony on Mars yet. —Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 7 May 2024

The darkness of the lake beautifully highlighted the fat, white snowflakes falling from puffy, gray skies above. —Vicki Denig, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 May 2024

There’s a lot of darkness, but there’s also a lot of love and tenderness. —Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 2 May 2024

And Brandon Stirling Baker’s lighting is magical, bathing the dancers in pools of mournful darkness or liberating light. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Apr. 2024

Victory was inevitable — Scheffler had a five-shot lead with three holes to play when the final round, delayed 2 1/2 hours because of storms Sunday afternoon, was suspended by darkness. —Doug Ferguson, Twin Cities, 22 Apr. 2024

There was something in this world that could rouse me, something that lightened the darkness. —Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English derknesse, going back to Old English deorcnysse, from deorc dark entry 1 + -nysse -ness

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing darkness

• plunge into darkness
• under (the) cover of darkness/night