dark

dark¹ W1S2 [da:k US da:rk] adj comparative darker superlative darkest

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1¦(no light)¦

2¦(colour)¦

3¦(hair/eyes/skin)¦

4¦(mysterious)¦

5¦(evil)¦

6¦(unhappy time)¦

7¦(feelings/thoughts)¦

8¦(humour)¦

9 darkest Africa/South America etc

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[: Old English; Origin: deorc]

1.) ¦(NO LIGHT)¦

if it is dark, there is little or no light

≠ ↑light

▪ The church was dark and quiet.

▪ the dark winter days

▪ Suddenly, the room went dark (=became dark) .

▪ It gets dark (=night begins) about ten o'clock during the summer.

▪ It was still dark (=was night) when we boarded the train.

▪ It was pitch dark (=completely dark) in the attic.

2.) ¦(COLOUR)¦

quite close to black in colour

≠ ↑light, pale ↑pale

▪ There were dark clouds in the sky.

▪ men in dark suits

▪ a slightly darker colour

dark blue/green/pink etc

▪ a dark blue dress

3.) ¦(HAIR/EYES/SKIN)¦

someone who is dark has hair, eyes, or skin that is brown or black in colour

≠ ↑fair

▪ a tall, dark man

▪ John's dark skin and eyes

4.) ¦(MYSTERIOUS)¦

mysterious or secret

▪ a dark secret

keep sth dark

BrE (=keep something secret)

▪ Apparently, he has a son, but he's kept that very dark.

5.) ¦(EVIL)¦

evil or threatening

▪ There was a darker side to his character.

▪ a place where so many dark deeds had been committed

▪ the dark forces of the universe

6.) ¦(UNHAPPY TIME)¦

a dark time is unhappy or without hope

▪ the dark days of the war

▪ Even in the darkest moments, I still had you, my love.

7.) ¦(FEELINGS/THOUGHTS)¦

if you have dark feelings or thoughts, you are very sad or worried

▪ a dark depression

▪ her darkest fears

8.) ¦(HUMOUR)¦

dark humour deals with things that are bad or upsetting in a funny way

= ↑black

▪ the dark humor common in difficult situations

9.) darkest Africa/South America etc

old-fashioned the parts of Africa etc about which we know very little

dark ²

dark² n

1.) the dark

when there is no light, especially because the sun has gone down

▪ my childish fear of the dark

in the dark

▪ I turned off the light and lay there in the dark.

▪ We stood outside in the pitch dark (=when there is no light at all) .

2.) after/before/until dark

after, before, or until the sun goes down at night

▪ I want you home before dark.

3.) in the dark informal

knowing nothing about something important, because you have not been told about it

▪ We're in the dark just as much as you are.

▪ College officials were kept in the dark about the investigation.

→a shot in the dark at ↑shot¹ (10)