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darkness

/ˈdɑːrknɪs/
noun★Beginner
general

The state of being dark or having little to no light

She turned off the lights, plunging the room into darkness.

She turned off the lights, making the room completely dark.

💡

Can refer to literal darkness or metaphorical darkness (e.g., ignorance, evil).

figurative

A state of ignorance, confusion, or lack of understanding

The darkness of his past haunted him for years.

His unknown or troubled past troubled him for years.

💡

Often used metaphorically to describe emotional or psychological states.

Collocations

plunge into darknessto suddenly become darklift the darknessto remove ignorance or confusion

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Phrases

come out of the darknessphrase
to reveal something hidden or secret
in the darkphrase
to be unaware or uninformed

💡Pro Tip

Literal vs. Figurative Use

Darkness can describe both the absence of light and metaphorical states like ignorance or evil.

⚡Gold Rule

Avoid Overuse

While darkness is a powerful word, overusing it metaphorically can make writing or speech feel heavy or negative.

📖Word Origin

From Middle English 'darknesse', from Old English 'deorcnes' (darkness), from 'deorc' (dark).

📝Usage Notes

Can be used literally to describe the absence of light or metaphorically to describe ignorance, evil, or emotional states.

Word Breakdown

dark
lacking light
root
+
-ness
state or quality of
suffix
English Dictionary

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