dark

Having little or no light, so things are hard to see.

• The room is dark.
• It was getting dark when we left.
• Can you see anything in this dark tunnel?

Similar words: unlit, dim

Opposites: light, bright

Common phrases: dark room, get dark, dark outside

Having a deep colour that is closer to black than white.

• He has dark hair.
• She chose a darker shade of blue.
• Do you prefer light or dark colours?

How to use it: dark + colour (The door is painted dark green.)

Similar words: deep

Opposites: light, pale

Common phrases: dark blue, dark hair, dark clothes, dark brown

Sad, frightening, or without much hope.

• Those were dark days for our family.
• The story takes a dark turn.
• She feared a darker future after the factory closed.

Similar words: bleak, gloomy, grim

Opposites: hopeful

Common phrases: dark times, dark thoughts, dark future, dark period

Having an ability to win races that other people do not yet know about.

• A dark horse entered the race.
• The trainer kept his dark runner away from public trials.
• Bettors struggled to judge the dark horse’s chances.

Similar words: untested, unknown

Common phrases: dark horse, dark contender

The lack of light in a place.

• I cannot see in the dark.
• The children are afraid of the dark.
• Her eyes slowly adjusted to the dark.

How to use it: in the dark (We searched for the keys in the dark.)

Similar words: darkness

Opposites: light

Common phrases: in the dark, out of the dark

The time when daylight ends and night begins.

• Come home before dark.
• We reached the village just after dark.
• They played outside until dark.

How to use it: before/after/until dark (We arrived home before dark.)

Similar words: nightfall, dusk

Common phrases: before dark, after dark, until dark

A state of not knowing or being told something.

• They kept me in the dark.
• We are still in the dark about their plans.
• Why was she left in the dark about the decision?

How to use it: be in the dark about something (I am in the dark about the new rules.); keep/leave someone in the dark (They left the staff in the dark about the sale.)

Similar words: ignorance

Common phrases: in the dark, dark about something

Clothes with deep colours, usually washed separately from white or pale clothes.

• Wash the darks separately.
• I put all my darks in one basket.
• This detergent is designed for darks.

Similar words: dark clothes

Opposites: whites

Common phrases: wash the darks, darks and whites, load of darks