What does “dark” mean?
- 1
adjectivewith little or no light
It gets dark early in winter.
- 2
adjectiveclose to black in color
He has dark hair and brown eyes.
- 3
nounthe lack of light, especially at night
My little brother is afraid of the dark.
Dark at a glance
- Part of speech
- adjective & noun
- CEFR level
- A1 (beginner)
- Pronunciation
- /dɑrk/ · DAHRK
How to use “dark” correctly
“In the dark” can also mean not knowing something: “They kept us in the dark about the plan.”
Common phrases with “dark”
- get dark
- after dark
- in the dark
- dark blue
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Antonyms (opposite meaning)
- light
- bright
Word family
- darkness
- darken
Idioms with “dark”
- A dark horse: A person who surprises others with hidden talents or unexpected success.
“dark” is on these word lists
Learn these words next
- season nounA1one of the four parts of the year: spring, summer, fall and winter
- spring nounA1the season between winter and summer
- summer nounA1the warmest season of the year, between spring and fall
- cold adjectiveA1having a low temperature
- early adjectiveA1happening near the beginning of a period of time
- first adjectiveA1coming before all others in time, order or importance
- green adjectiveA1having the color of grass or leaves
- hot adjectiveA1having a high temperature