darkly
adverb
Simple meaning
In a dark glowering menacing way.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
dahrkleeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈdɑɹkli
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adverb
With insufficient light for easy discernment or comprehension.
Without light
“The river was sliding darkly under the mist.”
In a dark glowering menacing manner
figuratively
In a manner which is difficult to understand, or which retards or prevents understanding; incomprehensibly.
figuratively
In a manner which retards or prevents discernment; clandestinely.
figuratively
In a manner which tends to produce uncertainty or confusion; bewilderingly.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: In a dark glowering menacing manner
Used this way, darkly is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use darkly
- “The river was sliding darkly under the mist.”adverb
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “darkly” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.