adj
dark
dahk
adj
1
Having little or no light.
"The room was completely dark with the curtains drawn."
"It gets dark early in winter."
2
Deep or intense in shade rather than light and bright.
"She painted the walls a dark shade of green."
3
Secretive, sinister, or morally troubling.
"He has a dark secret he's never told anyone."
"The film takes a dark turn in the second act."
noun
1
The absence of light; nightfall.
"The kids were told to be home before dark."
How to Use Dark
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishLacking light, deep in color, or troubling/sinister in tone or meaning.
Common mistake
"In the dark" as an idiom means "uninformed," not literally lacking light: "I was kept in the dark about the merger."
Common pairings
dark room
dark humor
dark secret
in the dark
Word Forms
darker comparative, darked past tense, darks plural, Darks plural, darks singular, darkest superlative
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The room was completely _____ with the curtains drawn.
Etymology
From Old English deorc, a very old Germanic word probably tied to a root meaning "dim" or "dull."