What (who) is dark - definition
LACK OF LIGHT
Dark; Absence of light
![Separation of light and darkness on the first day of creation, from the [[Sistine Chapel ceiling]] by [[Michelangelo]]](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Dividing Light from Darkness.jpg?width=200 "Separation of light and darkness on the first day of creation, from the [[Sistine Chapel ceiling]] by [[Michelangelo]]")
![The Calling of St Matthew]]'' uses darkness for its [[chiaroscuro]] effects.](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/The Calling of Saint Matthew-Caravaggo (1599-1600).jpg?width=200 "The Calling of St Matthew]]'' uses darkness for its [[chiaroscuro]] effects.")
dark
(darker, darkest)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
When it is dark, there is not enough light to see properly, for example because it is night.
It was too dark inside to see much...
People usually draw the curtains once it gets dark...
She snapped off the light and made her way back through the dark kitchen.
? light
ADJ
• darkness
The light went out, and the room was plunged into darkness.
N-UNCOUNT
• darkly
...a darkly lit, seedy dance hall.
ADV: ADV -ed
2.
The dark is the lack of light in a place.
I've always been afraid of the dark.
= darkness
? light
N-SING: the N
3.
If you describe something as dark, you mean that it is black in colour, or a shade that is close to black.
He wore a dark suit and carried a black attache case...
? light
ADJ
• darkly
Joanne's freckles stood out darkly against her pale skin...
ADV: ADV after v, ADV adj/-ed
4.
When you use dark to describe a colour, you are referring to a shade of that colour which is close to black, or seems to have some black in it.
She was wearing a dark blue dress.
? light
COMB in COLOUR
5.
If someone has dark hair, eyes, or skin, they have brown or black hair, eyes, or skin.
He had dark, curly hair...
ADJ
6.
If you describe a white person as dark, you mean that they have brown or black hair, and often a brownish skin.
Carol is a tall, dark, Latin type of woman...
? fair
ADJ
7.
A dark period of time is unpleasant or frightening.
This was the darkest period of the war.
= black
ADJ: usu ADJ n
8.
A dark place or area is mysterious and not fully known about.
...the dark recesses of the mind.
ADJ: ADJ n
9.
Dark thoughts are sad, and show that you are expecting something unpleasant to happen. (LITERARY)
Troy's chatter kept me from thinking dark thoughts.
= gloomy
ADJ: usu ADJ n
10.
Dark looks or remarks make you think that the person giving them wants to harm you or that something horrible is going to happen. (LITERARY)
...dark threats.
= sinister
ADJ: usu ADJ n
• darkly
'Something's wrong here,' she said darkly...
ADV: ADV with v
11.
If you describe something as dark, you mean that it is related to things that are serious or unpleasant, rather than light-hearted.
Their dark humor never failed to astound him...
ADJ: usu ADJ n
• darkly
The atmosphere after Wednesday's debut was as darkly comic as the film itself...
ADV: ADV adj
12.
see also pitch-dark
13.
If you do something after dark, you do it when the sun has set and night has begun.
They avoid going out alone after dark.
PHRASE
14.
If you do something before dark, you do it before the sun sets and night begins.
They'll be back well before dark.
PHRASE
15.
If you are in the dark about something, you do not know anything about it.
The investigators admit that they are completely in the dark about the killing...
PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v, oft PHR about n
16.
If you describe something someone says or does as a shot in the dark or a stab in the dark, you mean they are guessing that what they say is correct or that what they do will be successful.
Every single one of those inspired guesses had been shots in the dark.
PHRASE: shot inflects
Dark
·vt To darken to obscure.
II. Dark ·adj Deprived of sight; blind.
III. Dark ·noun The condition of ignorance; gloom; secrecy.
IV. Dark ·adj Foreboding evil; gloomy; jealous; suspicious.
V. Dark ·noun Absence of light; darkness; obscurity; a place where there is little or no light.
VI. Dark ·adj Not clear to the understanding; not easily seen through; obscure; mysterious; hidden.
VII. Dark ·adj Destitute of knowledge and culture; in moral or intellectual darkness; unrefined; ignorant.
VIII. Dark ·adj Evincing black or foul traits of character; vile; wicked; atrocious; as, a dark villain; a dark deed.
IX. Dark ·noun A dark shade or dark passage in a painting, engraving, or the like; as, the light and darks are well contrasted.
X. Dark ·adj Destitute, or partially destitute, of light; not receiving, reflecting, or radiating light; wholly or partially black, or of some deep shade of color; not light-colored; as, a dark room; a dark day; dark cloth; dark paint; a dark complexion.
dark
I
adj.
1) pitch ('completely') dark
2) (misc.) as dark as night ('very dark'); to grow dark
II
n.
darkness
1) after dark
2) in the dark (to grope for the door in the dark)
ignorance
3) to keep smb. in the dark
Wikipedia
Darkness
Darkness, the direct opposite of lightness, is defined as a lack of illumination, an absence of visible light, or a surface that absorbs light, such as black.
Human vision is unable to distinguish colors in conditions of very low luminance because the hue sensitive photoreceptor cells on the retina are inactive when light levels are insufficient, in the range of visual perception referred to as scotopic vision.
The emotional response to darkness has generated metaphorical usages of the term in many cultures, often used to describe an unhappy or foreboding feeling.
Referring to a time of day, complete darkness occurs when the Sun is more than 18° below the horizon, without the effects of twilight on the night sky.
Pronunciation examples for dark
1. for dark, dark, dark underground.
Modern Photography in Today's High-Speed Digital World _ Sergei Sarakhanov _ Talks at Google
2. a dark, dark time.
Eoin Colfer _ Highfire - A Novel _ Talks at Google
3. Dark urine. Dark.
ted-talks_824_MichaelSpecter_2010-320k
4. Just dark, dark red.
Sourdough _ Robin Sloan _ Talks at Google
5. dark.
The Peninsula Boys & Girls Club _ Peter Fortenbaugh _ Talks at Google
Examples of use of dark
1. He wore a dark jacket, beige trousers and dark shoes.
2. We‘re afraid of the dark right now and everything‘s dark.
3. He was wearing a dark coloured bomber–style jacket, dark tracksuit bottoms, a dark baseball cap and light coloured trainers.
4. How about a lantern or two to light the paths after dark – because it is dark after dark?
5. He was wearing a dark–coloured bomber–style jacket, dark tracksuit bottoms, a dark baseball cap and light–coloured trainers.