WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
dark•ly
(därk′lē),USA pronunciation adv.
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026- so as to appear dark.
- vaguely;
mysteriously. - in a vaguely threatening or menacing manner:He hinted darkly that we had not heard the last of the matter.
- imperfectly;
faintly.
- Middle English derkly, Old English deorclīce (in fig. sense only). See dark, -ly bef. 1000
dark /dɑrk/USA pronunciation
adj., -er, -est, n.
adj.
n. [uncountable]
dark•ly, adv.
dark•ness, n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026adj.
- having very little or no light:a dark room.
- giving off or reflecting little light:a dark color.
- [before a noun or adjective indicating color] close to black in color:a dark brown.
- not pale or fair:She's dark but her children are blond.
- gloomy;
cheerless;
dismal:the dark days of the war. - considered to be or thought of as being without knowledge or culture, or unenlightened:the Dark Ages.
- [before a noun] hidden;
concealed:a deep, dark secret.
n. [uncountable]
- the absence of light;
darkness:the dark and gloom of the forest. - night;
nightfall:to come home before dark.
- Idioms in the dark, in ignorance;
uninformed:We were completely in the dark about his intentions.
dark•ly, adv.
dark•ness, n. [uncountable]
dark
(därk),USA pronunciation adj., -er, -est, n., v.
adj.
n.
v.t.
v.i.
adj.
- having very little or no light:a dark room.
- radiating, admitting, or reflecting little light:a dark color.
- approaching black in hue:a dark brown.
- not pale or fair;
swarthy:a dark complexion. - brunette;
dark-colored:dark eyebrows. - having brunette hair:She's dark but her children are blond.
- Food(of coffee) containing only a small amount of milk or cream.
- gloomy;
cheerless;
dismal:the dark days of World War II. - sullen;
frowning:a dark expression. - evil;
iniquitous;
wicked:a dark plot. - destitute of knowledge or culture;
unenlightened. - hard to understand;
obscure. - hidden;
secret. - silent;
reticent. - (of a theater) offering no performances;
closed:The theaters in this town are dark on Sundays. - Phonetics
- Phonetics(of an l- sound) having back-vowel resonance;
situated after a vowel in the same syllable. Cf. clear (def. 24a). - Phonetics(of a speech sound) of dull quality;
acoustically damped.
- Phonetics(of an l- sound) having back-vowel resonance;
- Idioms keep dark, to keep as a secret;
conceal:They kept their political activities dark.
n.
- the absence of light;
darkness:I can't see well in the dark. - night;
nightfall:Please come home before dark. - a dark place.
- a dark color.
- Idioms in the dark:
- in ignorance;
uninformed:He was in the dark about their plans for the evening. - in secrecy;
concealed;
obscure.
- in ignorance;
v.t.
- to make dark;
darken.
v.i.
- [Obs.]to grow dark;
darken.
- bef. 1000; (adjective, adjectival) Middle English derk, Old English deorc; (noun, nominal and verb, verbal) Middle English, derivative of the adjective, adjectival; compare Middle High German terken to darken, hide
- 1. Dark, dim, obscure, gloomy, murky refer to absence or insufficiency of light. Dark implies a more or less complete absence of light:a dark night.Dim implies faintness of light or indistinctness of form (resulting from the lack of light or from imperfect vision):a dim outline.Obscure implies dimness that may arise also from factors that interfere with light or vision:obscure because of haze.Gloomy means cloudy, ill-lighted, dusky:a gloomy hall.Murky implies a thick or misty darkness:murky water. 4. dusky, black. 12. recondite, abstruse.
- 1. lighted. 2. bright. 8. cheerful. 9. pleasant. 12. clear.
'darkly' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):