Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The absolute or comparative absence of light, or the modification of visual sensation produced by such absence; gloom.
  • noun Secrecy; concealment; privacy.
  • noun The state of being blind physically; blindness.
  • noun Hence Mental or spiritual blindness; lack of knowledge or enlightenment, especially in religion and morality: as, heathen darkness.
  • noun The kingdom of the evil one; hell: as, the powers of darkness.
  • noun The gloom and obscurity of the grave; death.
  • noun Obscurity of meaning; lack of clearness or intelligibility.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The absence of light; blackness; obscurity; gloom.
  • noun A state of privacy; secrecy.
  • noun A state of ignorance or error, especially on moral or religious subjects; hence, wickedness; impurity.
  • noun Want of clearness or perspicuity; obscurity.
  • noun A state of distress or trouble.
  • noun the Devil; Satan.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun uncountable The state of being dark; lack of light.
  • noun uncountable Gloom.
  • noun countable The product of being dark.
  • noun uncountable The state or quality of reflecting little light, of tending to a blackish or brownish color.
  • noun uncountable Evilness, lack of understanding or compassion, reference to death or suffering.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an unilluminated area
  • noun an unenlightened state
  • noun having a dark or somber color
  • noun a swarthy complexion
  • noun absence of moral or spiritual values
  • noun absence of light or illumination

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From dark +‎ -ness

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Examples

  • While it is true that, regardless of the conditions in our little room, darkness still exists wherever there is no light, and light still exists wherever there is no darkness, yet for this particular room _there is no darkness when the sun shines in_, and _there is no light when the room is filled with darkness_.

    The Mind and Its Education George Herbert Betts 1901

  • And, says One, _if the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness_! [

    St. Bernard of Clairvaux's Life of St. Malachy of Armagh of Clairvaux Bernard 1899

  • Queen Ranavalona does not like darkness, so we condemned it at once -- unanimously -- for we could not for a moment tolerate anything with _darkness_ in it. "

    The Fugitives The Tyrant Queen of Madagascar Francis B. Pearson 1859

  • Therefore, to distinguish between what appertains to the primary polarity, Levity-Gravity, on the one hand, and their visible effects in the secondary polarity of the colours, on the other, we shall henceforth reserve the term darkness and, with it, lightness for instances where the perceptible components of the respective colours are concerned, while speaking of Dark and Light where reference is made to the generating primary polarity.

    Man or Matter Ernst Lehrs

  • Further there are some affirmations which we make concerning God which have the force of absolute negation: for example, when we use the term darkness, in reference to God, we do not mean darkness itself, but that He is not light but above light: and when we speak of Him as light, we mean that

    NPNF2-09. Hilary of Poitiers, John of Damascus 1898

  • To walk in darkness is to live and act according to such ignorance, error, and erroneous practice, as are contrary to the fundamental dictates of our holy religion.

    Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume VI (Acts to Revelation) 1721

  • The ability to control the darkness is the ability to command the light, and the ability to control the waters is the ability to delimit their boundaries and make them useful rather than destructive; useful for sustaining life.

    Final Participation and the Light of God « Unknowing 2010

  • Often at night when I can hear mysterious and magic voices, when I can see that the darkness is all alive, he sits at the table with bent head and goes on and on, scratching with his black claw on the white papers.

    Archive 2009-06-01 AYDIN 2009

  • One bright light in the darkness is a new program offered by Veterans Affairs Canada called Operational Stress Injury Support Services (OSISS), which began offering peer-support counseling to returning soldiers of all rank, bars and stripes, including active-duty, reservists and veterans.

    Part II: Soldiering on? The invisible injuries of war : Law is Cool 2009

  • Red lightsabers for a Jedi, odd, looks like the darkness is already reaching you.

    Superhero Nation: how to write superhero novels and comic books » How to do super-acronyms like SHIELD or FLAG 2008

Comments

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  • 'I never knew the darkness had so many colours, all of them black.' -the book Firethorn, by Sarah Micklem

    February 18, 2008

  • flesh, corruption

    July 22, 2009