darkness

noun

dark·​ness ˈdärk-nəs How to pronounce darkness (audio)
: 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
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
(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
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
And 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
What, 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
(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
(3)
: a lack of knowledge or enlightenment
In 1492, the intellectual darkness that shrouded Europe for centuries was slowly, almost grudgingly lifting.Bob Fisher

Examples of darkness in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Parts of Ohio and other states will be temporarily shadowed in darkness due to the 2024 solar eclipse. Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 22 Mar. 2024 The Talion’s thermal sensor is very powerful, picking up heat signatures out to 1,475 yards in total darkness. Amanda Oliver, Field & Stream, 21 Mar. 2024 Image: Netflix Making characters fumble in the darkness on their way to solving the puzzle of Three-Body was one of the many ways Liu mirrored, on a microscopic level, the book’s larger ideas about the power of collaborative efforts versus the control that comes from individual decision-making. Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 21 Mar. 2024 Given how many times in the past century unspeakable horrors have been impeccably documented and openly discussed in corporate jargon, the fact that systems ruled by this shiny, organized, daytime logic can quickly descend into darkness ought to come as no surprise. Kristen Roupenian, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2024 After a steep walk down into the darkness, tourists walk through claustrophobia-inducing tunnels, with rock ceilings less than five feet high, the tunnels barely six feet wide. Mark E. Potts, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024 Near the beginning of episode 4, Nye takes an ominous escalator suspended in darkness into what appears to be a fiery, Transformer-style metal sphere that pops him out into a sunny Midwest cornfield. The Arizona Republic, 20 Mar. 2024 With April 8 being so close to the Devil Comet's April 21 perihelion, the comet could be observable during the darkness of totality. Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2024 Just then, play was suspended due to darkness at TPC Sawgrass. Jack Bantock, CNN, 16 Mar. 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.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English derknesse, going back to Old English deorcnysse, from deorc dark entry 1 + -nysse -ness

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of darkness was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near darkness

Cite this Entry

“Darkness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/darkness. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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