dark 1 of 2

adjective

ˈdärk How to pronounce dark (audio)
Definition of darknext
1
as in darkened
being without light or without much light a dark alley that most people wisely avoided

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in black
not having a light complexion he was tall, dark, and handsome

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in bleak
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer her mind was filled with dark thoughts until the results of the medical test came back as negative

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in silent
given to keeping one's activities hidden from public observation or knowledge the actor was always quite dark about his life before his arrival in Hollywood

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in ambiguous
having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning the superhero was not daunted by the villain's dark threats

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in ignorant
lacking in education or the knowledge gained from books is known as a dark period in European history when people lived in ignorance, fear, and want

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in evil
not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable dark deeds that resulted in the Russian czar being known to history as Ivan the Terrible

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

dark

2 of 2

noun

1
as in shadows
a time or place of little or no light I have a bad habit of running into tables in the dark

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in night
the time from sunset to sunrise when there is no visible sunlight we were going to wait until dark to go trick-or-treating

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word dark different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of dark are ambiguous, cryptic, enigmatic, equivocal, obscure, and vague. While all these words mean "not clearly understandable," dark implies an imperfect or clouded revelation often with ominous or sinister suggestion.

muttered dark hints of revenge

In what contexts can ambiguous take the place of dark?

The meanings of ambiguous and dark largely overlap; however, ambiguous applies to language capable of more than one interpretation.

an ambiguous directive

When might cryptic be a better fit than dark?

While in some cases nearly identical to dark, cryptic implies a purposely concealed meaning.

cryptic hints of hidden treasure

When could enigmatic be used to replace dark?

The synonyms enigmatic and dark are sometimes interchangeable, but enigmatic stresses a puzzling, mystifying quality.

enigmatic occult writings

When can equivocal be used instead of dark?

The words equivocal and dark are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, equivocal applies to language left open to differing interpretations with the intention of deceiving or evading.

moral precepts with equivocal phrasing

When is obscure a more appropriate choice than dark?

In some situations, the words obscure and dark are roughly equivalent. However, obscure implies a hiding or veiling of meaning through some inadequacy of expression or withholding of full knowledge.

obscure poems

When would vague be a good substitute for dark?

While the synonyms vague and dark are close in meaning, vague implies a lack of clear formulation due to inadequate conception or consideration.

a vague sense of obligation

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dark
Adjective
While it’s been nearly a decade since Markle was seen on the small screen, Rachel and her wardrobe remain as relevant as ever—especially with dark academia trending in fashion. —Robyn Merrett, StyleCaster, 11 Mar. 2025 Hairdresser Fer Martinez styled the model’s dark tresses in a sleek bun, while makeup artist Sergio Antón De Las Nieves gave her a tan cut crease, winged eyeliner and lip gloss. —Hannah Malach, WWD, 10 Mar. 2025
Noun
Deputies from the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office were called in to help but stopped searching after dark. —Lauren Clark, CBS News, 7 Feb. 2025 Mizell wore a dark and tie, with a light shirt underneath. —Kayla Grant, People.com, 5 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dark
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dark
  1. black
  2. bleak
  3. silent
  4. ambiguous
  5. ignorant
  6. evil
  7. night
  8. murky
Adjective
  • After signing autographs and posing for photos at O’Hare, Blagojevich landed in Denver and then hopped into a black SUV with two of his attorneys to report to the prison — with a camera-toting helicopter tracking his movement and the image streamed live on TV websites.
    — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 15 Mar. 2025
  • Attaching the Freyja to a Chair The Freyja is a black pad that measures 38 by 16 inches (HW) and has soft, flat padding arranged in polygonal panels.
    — PCMAG, PCMAG, 15 Mar. 2025
Definition of black
Adjective
  • Outside of the December slide, this is as bleak as it’s looked for the Rangers this season.
    — Arthur Staple, The Athletic, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Voters were also asked to give one word to describe the Democratic Party, and the responses were bleak.
    — Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 21 Mar. 2025
Definition of bleak
Adjective
  • After several minutes the second officer came and, again, Pike kept silent.
    — PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 20 Mar. 2025
  • The event will also include silent and live auctions, delicious food and drink, and joyous community, according to a news release.
    — Encinitas Advocate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2025
Definition of silent
Adjective
  • Team Harris’s strategy appeared to rely heavily on a short campaign window, with a sparse interview schedule, slow windup to unscripted events, and ambiguous policy positions.
    — W. James Antle III, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Instead, security leaders typically present compliance checklists, regulatory obligations and ambiguous risk scores that executives then struggle to translate into financial and operational impact.
    — Jerry Layden, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of ambiguous
Adjective
  • Musk’s blind and ignorant closing of USAID has blacked out our billboard to the world of what America is about.
    — Llewellyn King, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2025
  • For one thing, Overstreet seemed set on portraying Black history in a way that was neither overly dour nor entirely ignorant of past violence.
    — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 4 Feb. 2025
Definition of ignorant
Adjective
  • Ben Stiller even makes a brief cameo as the evil nursing home orderly, Hal.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 18 Mar. 2025
  • The children were not killed by an Israeli rocket attack, as Hamas claimed, but brutally murdered by evil terrorists.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 17 Mar. 2025
Definition of evil
Noun
  • Castillo performed small open-mic nights at restaurants and clubs in Brixton, often with the Latin alternative artist Desta French, who is Colombian and Italian.
    — Suzy Exposito, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2025
  • The result of all this ingenuity, shoppers said, are restful nights and pain-free mornings.
    — Miles Walls, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Mar. 2025
Definition of night
Adjective
  • The situation here becomes more murky because Fusion GPS hired Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence officer, to investigate Trump’s ties with Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin.
    — Niall Stanage, The Hill, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Prior to Wednesday’s announcement, the stock had declined more than 50% over the past 12 months as the company’s future became increasingly murky.
    — Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of murky

Phrases Containing dark

Browse Nearby Words

dark
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dark.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dark. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on dark

Nglish: Translation of dark for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All