dark
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- dim, dingy, murky, shadowy, shady, sunless, unlit
- black, dark-skinned, dusky, ebony, sable, swarthy
- gloomy, bleak, dismal, grim, morose, mournful, sad, sombre
- evil, foul, infernal, sinister, vile, wicked
- secret, concealed, hidden, mysterious
[noun]
Synonyms:
- darkness, dimness, dusk, gloom, murk, obscurity, semi-darkness
- night, evening, nightfall, night-time, twilight

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Antonyms: light, lucid
Contrasted words: bright, brilliant, luminous, radiant, enlightened, illuminated, illumined, lighted, clear, perspicuous, easy, facile, light, simple, blond, fair, ruddy, tawny
Related Words: cloudy, dull, shadowy, shady, pitch-black, pitch-dark, abstruse, esoteric, hidden, occult, recondite, anagogic, cabalistic, darkling, mystic, mystical, complicated, intricate, knotty

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English Thesaurus: colour, shade, hue, tint, tone, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. dark¹ S2 W1 /dɑːk $ dɑːrk/ adjective (comparative darker, superlative darkest)
[Word Family: adjective: dark, darkened, darkening; noun: dark, darkness; verb: darken; adverb: darkly]
[Language: Old English; Origin: deorc]

1. NO LIGHT if it is dark, there is little or no light Antonym : light:
The church was dark and quiet.
the dark winter days
Suddenly, the room went dark (=became dark).
It gets dark (=night begins) about ten o'clock.
It was still dark (=was night) when we boarded the train.
It was pitch dark (=completely dark) in the attic.

2. COLOUR quite close to black in colour Antonym : light, pale:
There were dark clouds in the sky.
men in dark suits
a slightly darker colour
dark blue/green/pink etc
a dark blue dress

3. HAIR/EYES/SKIN someone who is dark has hair, eyes, or skin that is brown or black in colour Antonym : fair:
a tall, dark man
John’s dark skin and eyes

4. MYSTERIOUS mysterious or secret:
a dark secret
keep something dark British English (=keep something secret)
Apparently, he has a son, but he’s kept that very dark.

5. EVIL evil or threatening:
There was a darker side to his character.
a place where so many dark deeds had been committed
the dark forces of the universe

6. UNHAPPY TIME a dark time is unhappy or without hope:
the dark days of the war
Even in the darkest moments, I still had you, my love.

7. FEELINGS/THOUGHTS if you have dark feelings or thoughts, you are very sad or worried:
a dark depression
her darkest fears

8. HUMOUR dark humour deals with things that are bad or upsetting in a funny way Synonym : black:
the dark humor common in difficult situations

9. darkest Africa/South America etc old-fashioned the parts of Africa etc about which we know very little - this use is now often considered offensive

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. dark² noun
[Word Family: adjective: dark, darkened, darkening; noun: dark, darkness; verb: darken; adverb: darkly]

1. the dark when there is no light, especially because the sun has gone down:
my childish fear of the dark
in the dark
I turned off the light and lay there in the dark.
We stood outside in the pitch dark (=when there is no light at all).

2. after/before/until dark after, before, or until the sun goes down at night:
I want you home before dark.

3. in the dark informal knowing nothing about something important, because you have not been told about it:
We’re in the dark just as much as you are.
College officials were kept in the dark about the investigation.
⇒ a shot in the dark at shot¹(10)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

dark
adj.
VERBS be, look | get, go, grow It gets dark at about six o'clock. Suddenly the whole sky went dark. As it grew dark, they gathered round the fire.
remain, stay
ADV. very | completely | almost, nearly It's only three o'clock and it's nearly dark already.
quite, rather

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

dark
noun
ADJ. pitch I fumbled for the light switch in the pitch dark.
gathering We could just make out some figures in the gathering dark.
PREP. after ~ The girls weren't allowed out after dark.
before ~ We'd better try and finish this job before dark.
in the ~ I hate getting up in the dark.
PHRASES afraid of the dark Many small children are afraid of the dark.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

dark
adjective
BAD: Soon it began to become dark and it was time to go home.
GOOD: Soon it began to get dark and it was time to go home.
BAD: The last candle went out and everything became dark.
GOOD: The last candle went out and everything went dark.

Usage Note:
To refer to the time in the evening or at night when the daylight disappears, use get dark or (in formal styles) grow dark : 'In the winter it gets dark by five o'clock.' 'It began to grow dark and so we headed back to the shore.' To describe what happens when all the lights in a room, building, etc suddenly go out, use go dark or (especially in formal styles) be plunged into darkness : 'During the last storm the whole town was plunged into darkness.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

colour red, blue, yellow etc:
Blue is my favourite colour.
Matisse was famous for his use of colour.
shade a particular type of a colour:
The dress is a light shade of pink.
He uses different shades of green.
hue /hjuː/ literary or technical a particular colour or shade of a colour:
Her face had lost its golden hue.
tint a small amount of a colour in something that is mostly another colour:
He wears sunglasses that have a pinky-orange tint.
tone one of the many different shades of a colour, each slightly darker, lighter, brighter etc than the next:
Carpets in neutral tones give a feeling of space.
dark used about a colour that is strong and fairly close to black:
a dark blue suit
His eyes are dark brown.
deep fairly dark – often used when you think this colour looks attractive:
His eyes were a beautiful deep blue.
deep red lips
rich used about a colour that is fairly dark in a way that gives a pleasant feeling of warmth:
The walls were painted a rich red colour.
light used about a colour that is not dark:
a light blue sweater
His T-shirt was light green.
pale used about a colour that is very light:
He has very pale blue eyes.
soft used about a colour that is light in a way that is attractive because it is not too obvious:
She wears soft colours such as cream, which match her complexion.
pastel used about a colour that has a lot of white in it:
The girls wore pastel pink sundresses.
bright used about a colour that is strong and easy to see:
The front door was painted bright red.
brilliant/vivid used about a colour that is very bright:
I looked out at the brilliant blue sky.
vivid red flowers
colourful British English, colorful American English used about things that have many different bright colours:
There were window boxes full of colourful flowers.
multicoloured British English, multicolored American English used about things that have a pattern of many different bright colours:
A multicoloured flag waved in the midday sun.
gaudy/garish too brightly coloured, in a way that is unattractive:
The wallpaper was much too gaudy for me.
a garish orange tie

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

dark if a place is dark, there is little or no light:
The room was very dark.
No, you can’t play outside, it’s too dark.
It was a dark night with clouds covering the moon.
dimly-lit a dimly-lit building or place is fairly dark because the lights there are not very bright:
a dimly-lit restaurant
The church was dimly lit.
dim a dim light is fairly dark:
The camera can take good pictures even in dim lighting.
The evening sky grew dim.
darkened a darkened room or building is darker than usual, especially because its lights have been turned off or the curtains have been drawn:
The prisoner lay in a darkened room.
The play starts with a darkened stage, and the sound of a woman singing softly.
gloomy a gloomy place or room is not at all bright or cheerful:
The bar was gloomy and smelled of stale cigar smoke.
murky dark and difficult to see through – used especially about water:
the murky waters of the lake
I could hardly see him in the murky light of the bar.
pitch-dark/pitch-black completely dark, so that nothing can be seen:
It was pitch-dark inside the shed.
shady a shady place is cooler and darker than the area around it, because the light of the sun cannot reach it:
It was nice and shady under the trees.
They found a shady spot for a picnic.
deep fairly dark – often used when you think this colour looks attractive:
His eyes were a beautiful deep blue.
deep red lips
rich used about a colour that is fairly dark in a way that gives a pleasant feeling of warmth:
The walls were painted a rich red colour.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

low a low voice or sound is not high on the scale of musical sounds:
I can’t sing the low notes.
He’s got quite a low singing voice.
Boys’ voices usually become much lower as they get older.
deep a deep voice or sound is low, strong, and pleasant:
He has a lovely deep voice.
The engine has a wonderfully deep sound to it, like it’s ready to race.
husky a husky voice is deep, quiet, and rough-sounding, especially in a way that is attractive:
Monroe sang 'Happy Birthday, Mr President’ in a slow husky voice.
His voice dropped to a husky whisper.
gravelly a gravelly voice is very low and rough sounding:
The singer is famous for his gravelly voice.
dark used about a colour that is strong and fairly close to black:
a dark blue suit
His eyes are dark brown.
rich used about a colour that is fairly dark in a way that gives a pleasant feeling of warmth:
The walls were painted a rich red colour.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

dark
dɑ:k
See: in the dark , shot in the dark , whistle in the dark

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲