dark age

noun

1

: a time during which a civilization undergoes a decline: such as

a

Dark Ages plural : the European historical period from about a.d. 476 to about 1000

broadly : middle ages

b

or Dark Age : the Greek historical period of three to four centuries from about 1100 b.c.

—often plural

2

or Dark Age

a

: the primitive period in the development of something

—usually plural

in the dark ages of medicine

b

: a state of stagnation or decline

—usually plural

Examples of dark age in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

With most of the studio’s fabled animators having retired and productions being scaled back, Disney entered a dark age of animation marked by edgier stories and alienated audiences. —Josh Spiegel, Vulture, 24 July 2024

Now, as the only hope to usher humanity out of its artificial dark age, Grady and his fellow prisoners must try to expose the secrets of an unimaginable enemy — one that wields a technological advantage half a century in the making. —Justin Kroll, Deadline, 18 June 2024

Exiled by Emperor Cleon XII (a magnificent Lee Pace) to the remote planet of Terminus, Seldon plans to establish a Foundation dedicated to shortening the coming dark age with his disciples, including Gaal Dornick (Lou Llobell). —David Faris, theweek, 24 Apr. 2024

Their report, published late last year in the IEEE Open Journal of Power Electronics, found no evidence that the inverter invasion is plunging civilization into a dystopian dark age. —IEEE Spectrum, 14 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1640, in the meaning defined at sense 1