dark (därk)adj. dark·er, dark·est 1. a. Lacking or having very little light: a dark corner.b. Lacking brightness: a dark day.c. Reflecting only a small fraction of incident light; tending toward black: dark clothing.d. Served without milk or cream: dark coffee.2. Being or having a complexion that is not light in color.3. Sullen or threatening: a dark scowl.4. a. Characterized by gloom or pessimism; dismal or bleak: a dark day for the economy; dark predictions of what lies in store.b. Being or characterized by morbid or grimly satiric humor.5. a. Unknown or concealed; mysterious: a dark secret; the dark workings of the unconscious.b. Lacking enlightenment, knowledge, or culture: a dark age in the history of education.6. a. Evil in nature or effect; sinister: “churned up dark undercurrents of ethnic and religious hostility” (Peter Maas).b. Morally corrupt; vicious: dark deeds; a dark past.7. Having richness or depth: a dark, melancholy vocal tone.8. Not giving performances; closed: The movie theater is dark on Mondays.9. Linguistics Pronounced with the back of the tongue raised toward the velum. Used of the sound (l) in words like full.n.1. Absence of light.2. A place having little or no light.3. Night; nightfall: home before dark.4. A deep hue or color.5. darks Pieces of laundry having a dark color.Idiom: in the dark1. In secret: high-level decisions made in the dark.2. In a state of ignorance; uninformed: kept me in the dark about their plans.[Middle English derk, from Old English deorc.]dark?ish adj.dark?ly adv.dark?ness n.Synonyms: dark, dim, murky, dusky, shady, shadowy These adjectives indicate the absence of light or clarity. Dark, the most widely applicable, can refer to a lack or near lack of illumination (a dark night), deepness of shade or color (dark brown), somberness (a dark mood), or immorality (a dark past). Dim means having or producing little light (dim shadows; a dim light bulb) and further suggests lack of sharpness or clarity: “the terrible dim faces known in dreams” (Carson McCullers).”tales now dim and half forgotten” (Jane Stevenson). Murky refers to a thick or clouded darkness: “Dolphins use sonar beams to navigate the murky depths of the ocean” (Tim Hilchey). Like dim, it is also used of what is indistinct or uncertain: “Modern warfare is murky, and with no clear frontlines, the distinction between combat and support can become meaningless” (Kristin Henderson). Dusky suggests a subdued half-light: “The dusky night rides down the sky, / And ushers in the morn” (Henry Fielding). It can also refer to deepness or darkness of color: “A dusky blush rose to her cheek” (Edith Wharton). Shady refers literally to what is sheltered from light, especially sunlight (a shady grove of pines) or figuratively to what is of questionable honesty (shady business deals). Shadowy also implies obstructed light (an ill-lit, shadowy street) but may refer to what is indistinct or little known: “[He] retreated from the limelight to the shadowy fringe of music history” (Charles Sherman). It can also refer to something that seems to lack substance and is mysterious or sinister: a shadowy figure in a black cape.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.dark (d??k) adj1. having little or no light: a dark street. 2. (Colours) (of a colour) reflecting or transmitting little light: dark brown. Compare light129, medium23. a. (of complexion, hair colour, etc) not fair or blond; swarthy; brunetteb. (in combination): dark-eyed. 4. gloomy or dismal5. sinister; evil: a dark purpose. 6. sullen or angry: a dark scowl. 7. ignorant or unenlightened: a dark period in our history. 8. secret or mysterious: keep it dark. 9. (Phonetics & Phonology) phonetics denoting an (l) pronounced with a velar articulation giving back vowel resonance. In English, l is usually dark when final or preconsonantal. Compare light13010. (Stock Exchange) go dark stock exchange informal (of a company) to remove itself from the register of major exchanges while continuing to traden11. absence of light; darkness12. night or nightfall13. a dark place, patch, or shadow14. a state of ignorance (esp in the phrase in the dark)vb an archaic word for darken[Old English deorc; related to Old High German terchennen to hide] ?darkish adj ?darkly adv ?darkness nCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014dark (d?rk) adj. dark?er, dark?est, n., v., – adj. 1. having very little or no light: a dark room. 2. radiating, admitting, or reflecting little light: a dark color. 3. approaching black in hue: a dark brown. 4. not pale or fair; swarthy: a dark complexion. 5. brunette; dark-colored: dark eyebrows. 6. having brunette hair. 7. (of coffee) containing only a small amount of milk or cream. 8. gloomy; dismal: the dark days of the war. 9. sullen; frowning: a dark expression. 10. evil; iniquitous; wicked: a dark plot. 11. destitute of knowledge or culture; unenlightened. 12. hard to understand; obscure. 13. hidden; secret. 14. (of a theater) offering no performances; closed. 15. (of an l-sound) pronounced with the back of the tongue raised, giving back-vowel resonance, as the l in full. n. 16. the absence of light. 17. night; nightfall: to come home after dark. 18. a dark place. 19. a dark color. v.t., v.i. Obs. 20. to make or grow dark; darken. Idioms: in the dark, in ignorance; uninformed. [before 1000; Middle English derk, Old English deorc] Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.darkPast participle: darkedGerund: darkingImperativePresentPreteritePresent ContinuousPresent PerfectPast ContinuousPast PerfectFutureFuture PerfectFuture ContinuousPresent Perfect ContinuousFuture Perfect ContinuousPast Perfect ContinuousConditionalPast ConditionalImperativedarkdarkPresentI darkyou darkhe/she/it darkswe darkyou darkthey darkPreteriteI darkedyou darkedhe/she/it darkedwe darkedyou darkedthey darkedPresent ContinuousI am darkingyou are darkinghe/she/it is darkingwe are darkingyou are darkingthey are darkingPresent PerfectI have darkedyou have darkedhe/she/it has darkedwe have darkedyou have darkedthey have darkedPast ContinuousI was darkingyou were darkinghe/she/it was darkingwe were darkingyou were darkingthey were darkingPast PerfectI had darkedyou had darkedhe/she/it had darkedwe had darkedyou had darkedthey had darkedFutureI will darkyou will darkhe/she/it will darkwe will darkyou will darkthey will darkFuture PerfectI will have darkedyou will have darkedhe/she/it will have darkedwe will have darkedyou will have darkedthey will have darkedFuture ContinuousI will be darkingyou will be darkinghe/she/it will be darkingwe will be darkingyou will be darkingthey will be darkingPresent Perfect ContinuousI have been darkingyou have been darkinghe/she/it has been darkingwe have been darkingyou have been darkingthey have been darkingFuture Perfect ContinuousI will have been darkingyou will have been darkinghe/she/it will have been darkingwe will have been darkingyou will have been darkingthey will have been darkingPast Perfect ContinuousI had been darkingyou had been darkinghe/she/it had been darkingwe had been darkingyou had been darkingthey had been darkingConditionalI would darkyou would darkhe/she/it would darkwe would darkyou would darkthey would darkPast ConditionalI would have darkedyou would have darkedhe/she/it would have darkedwe would have darkedyou would have darkedthey would have darkedCollins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011