: 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
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
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
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
Will ManleyAnd 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
Kate DiCamilloWhat, 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
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
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
Bob FisherSynonyms
Examples of darkness in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Farmers have relied on this recipe of frost, darkness and warmth for more than 200 years.
—Corey Buhay, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024
In place of the grand theatrical installations that have defined Hermès presentations in years prior, the room was bathed in darkness and at first appeared relatively spartan.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 16 Apr. 2024
Jared recalls a long-ago conversation when Vance described his job at NCIS as trying to do good by being a light in the darkness.
—Sara Netzley, EW.com, 16 Apr. 2024
Nocturnal tornadoes are difficult to spot in the darkness and those sleeping may not be aware danger is near.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN, 15 Apr. 2024
Sure, the set was spotty at parts – with moments of darkness and silence in between many songs and a handful of issues with mic volume, all of which Del Rey audibly called out.
—Lyndsey Havens, Billboard, 13 Apr. 2024
According to the study, most hikers got lost by wandering off the trail (41%), while others got lost due to bad weather (17%), falling off the trail (16%), getting separated from the group (8%), suffering an injury (7%), darkness (6%) and loss or failure of equipment (5%).
—Nicholas Rice, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024
For the 2 minutes and 33 seconds that the midday sun in North Texas was completely shrouded by the moon — raining darkness and turning day into dusk — the animals took their cues from the humans.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Apr. 2024
Cleveland Browns Stadium, hard up against the Science Center lawn, was plunged into darkness.
—Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 8 Apr. 2024
Corey Buhay, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024
In place of the grand theatrical installations that have defined Hermès presentations in years prior, the room was bathed in darkness and at first appeared relatively spartan.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 16 Apr. 2024
Jared recalls a long-ago conversation when Vance described his job at NCIS as trying to do good by being a light in the darkness.
—Sara Netzley, EW.com, 16 Apr. 2024
Nocturnal tornadoes are difficult to spot in the darkness and those sleeping may not be aware danger is near.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN, 15 Apr. 2024
Sure, the set was spotty at parts – with moments of darkness and silence in between many songs and a handful of issues with mic volume, all of which Del Rey audibly called out.
—Lyndsey Havens, Billboard, 13 Apr. 2024
According to the study, most hikers got lost by wandering off the trail (41%), while others got lost due to bad weather (17%), falling off the trail (16%), getting separated from the group (8%), suffering an injury (7%), darkness (6%) and loss or failure of equipment (5%).
—Nicholas Rice, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024
For the 2 minutes and 33 seconds that the midday sun in North Texas was completely shrouded by the moon — raining darkness and turning day into dusk — the animals took their cues from the humans.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Apr. 2024
Cleveland Browns Stadium, hard up against the Science Center lawn, was plunged into darkness.
—Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 8 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'darkness.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near darkness
Cite this Entry
“Darkness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/darkness. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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