DARKNESS Synonyms: 149 Similar and Opposite Words

darkness

noun

ˈdärk-nəs

Definition of darkness

as in dark

a time or place of little or no light the raiding party snuck up under cover of darkness

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in ambiguity

the quality or state of having a veiled or uncertain meaning the darkness of certain passages in the Book of Revelation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in night

the time from sunset to sunrise when there is no visible sunlight let's wait for darkness before telling ghost stories

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in cloud

an overspreading element that produces an atmosphere of gloom the darkness of that period of my life is best forgotten

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of darkness His winning series was captured in the waters of Anilao, Philippines, where pelagic and larval marine life migrate from the depths each night to feed under the cover of darkness. — Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026 Or perhaps more accurately, like a gleeful romp with friends through a haunted-house attraction at a regional fair, with various creepy creatures leaping suddenly out of the darkness. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 2 July 2026 As darkness settled over Washington Square Park, supporters formed circles, waved Ghanaian flags and continued singing Jama into the evening. — Kansas City Star, 3 July 2026 To navigate the darkness, Liu leaned heavily into both sports psychology and traditional therapy, including EMDR, a technique that helps people process traumatic experiences. — Douglas Robson, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for darkness

Recent Examples of Synonyms for darkness

Noun

Even an aggressive plaintiff would know that lingering past dark wouldn’t go over well in court.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 June 2026
News of a glow-in-the-dark Nike Air Foamposite Pro first materialized in November, with early reports of a Summit White/Black colorway enhanced with the glowing treatment.

— Riley Jones, Footwear News, 30 June 2026

Definition of dark

Noun

Leadership teams that are ready for change treat ambiguity as part of the job.

— Tracy Lawrence, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
The report released last year from the Office of Performance Evaluations found the money’s use wasn’t addressed in state law, which led to inconsistencies and ambiguity on what it can be used for.

— Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 1 July 2026

Definition of ambiguity

Noun

The engineer flew in from Tampa to try and find her mother, sister, brother-in-law and nephew in the ruins of their nine-story apartment building, sleeping on the ground since arriving two nights ago.

— Isa Soares, CNN Money, 1 July 2026
On Monday night, Contreras was ejected in the second inning after a check-swing strikeout prompted him to give a sarcastic ABS challenge gesture at the umpire, earning an instant boot.

— Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2026

Definition of night

Noun

On July 3, Arcade made its agent authorization and tool-execution runtime available through the Microsoft Azure and AWS marketplaces, so enterprises can deploy it inside their own cloud with one click.

— Janakiram MSV, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
To try Adidas’s cloud-like designs for yourself, consider these Ultraboost running sneakers.

— Isabel Bekele, InStyle, 6 July 2026

Definition of cloud

Noun

Tracers from air defense fire streaked through the air as a huge pall of black smoke rose into the sky.

— Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
Trump started the day threatening to block Congress’ biggest bipartisan legislation of his second term over a voter ID bill that faces no path to law — casting a pall over a Capitol that had already begun celebrating a rare cost-of-living victory.

— Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 24 June 2026

Definition of pall

Noun

Experts say that the biggest challenge at that extreme level of blackness is actually measuring it.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 June 2026
In the restaurant, my dad looked at me with the passionate conviction of a man who was confident in his Blackness and wanted nothing more than to pass it on.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 June 2026

Definition of blackness

Browse Nearby Words

darkly

darkness

darks

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Style

“Darkness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/darkness. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of darkness

noun

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