Black vs. Dark — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 25, 2023
Black signifies the total absence of both light and color, while dark suggests an environment or object with minimal or insufficient illumination. Black and dark are terms used to describe the absence or scarcity of light or color.
Difference Between Black and Dark
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Black is often described as the absolute absence of light or color. It is an extreme, representing the deepest shade possible, and is unequivocal in its characterization. Dark, on the other hand, indicates the reduction or deficiency of light but doesn't necessarily mean the total absence of it. Dark encompasses a range, from a slight dimness to almost black.
Black, as a color, has a definite and precise representation in various color models, such as RGB or CMYK. In these systems, black is often the zero point, where no light or color is present. Dark, conversely, doesn't have a fixed point in these models, as it is more relative, representing a spectrum of shades that are closer to black but not necessarily black itself.
In cultural or symbolic contexts, black is often associated with mystery, power, elegance, and formality. It can symbolize both the end and the beginning, death and rebirth. Dark, while also associated with mystery, often carries connotations of fear, the unknown, or secrecy. It can signify something hidden or obscured, whether physically, emotionally, or metaphorically.
Black can also refer specifically to people of African descent in many contexts, particularly in the U.S., highlighting racial and cultural identities. Dark, when used in reference to skin tone, usually indicates a deeper or more tanned complexion but doesn't specify a particular racial or ethnic group. It's worth noting that both terms, when used in these contexts, can be laden with historical and sociopolitical connotations.
Both black and dark play significant roles in language and expressions. Phrases like "pitch black" emphasize the extreme nature of black, while "in the dark" underscores a lack of knowledge or clarity. Whether discussing color, light, mood, or cultural contexts, it's clear that while black and dark may have overlapping definitions, their uses and connotations can vary widely.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
Absence of light or color
Characterized by little or no light
Color Models
Fixed point (e.g., RGB 0,0,0)
Relative, a spectrum of shades
Symbolism
Mystery, power, elegance, end/beginning
Fear, unknown, obscured, hidden
Racial/Cultural Context
Refers to people of African descent
Indicates a deeper or tanned complexion
Expressions
"Pitch black," "black tie event"
"In the dark," "dark secrets"
Compare with Definitions
Black
The color resulting from the absence of light.
The room was pitch black.
Dark
Deep in color.
She chose a dark shade of lipstick.
Black
Relating to people of African descent.
She's a proud Black woman.
Dark
Uncertain or pessimistic.
The future looks dark for that company.
Black
Of the darkest color owing to the absence or complete absorption of light.
She wore a black dress to the event.
Dark
Lacking or having very little light
A dark corner.
Black
Sullen or hostile in appearance.
He gave her a black look.
Dark
Lacking brightness
A dark day.
Black
(of coffee) served without milk or cream.
He prefers his coffee black.
Dark
Reflecting only a small fraction of incident light; tending toward black
Dark clothing.
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and gray.
Dark
Served without milk or cream
Dark coffee.
Black
Of the very darkest colour owing to the absence of or complete absorption of light; the opposite of white
Her long black hair
Black smoke
Dark
Being or having a complexion that is not light in color.
Black
Belonging to or denoting any human group having dark-coloured skin, especially of African or Australian Aboriginal ancestry
Black adolescents of Jamaican descent
Dark
Sullen or threatening
A dark scowl.
Black
Characterized by tragic or disastrous events; causing despair or pessimism
The future looks black
Five thousand men were killed on the blackest day of the war
Dark
Characterized by gloom or pessimism; dismal or bleak
A dark day for the economy.
Dark predictions of what lies in store.
Black
Denoting a covert military procedure
Clearance for black operations came from the highest political level
Dark
Being or characterized by morbid or grimly satiric humor.
Black
(of goods or work) not to be handled or undertaken by trade union members, especially so as to express support for an industrial dispute elsewhere
The union declared the ship black
Dark
Unknown or concealed; mysterious
A dark secret.
The dark workings of the unconscious.
Black
Black colour or pigment
A tray decorated in black and green
Dark
Lacking enlightenment, knowledge, or culture
A dark age in the history of education.
Black
A member of a dark-skinned people, especially one of African or Australian Aboriginal ancestry
They tend to identify strongly with other blacks
Dark
Evil in nature or effect; sinister
"churned up dark undercurrents of ethnic and religious hostility" (Peter Maas).
Black
The situation of not owing money to a bank or of making a profit in a business operation
It is hoped the club will be back in the black by the end of the season
An insurance company operating in the black will be able to pay for further growth
I managed to break even in the first six months—quite a short time for a small business to get into the black
Dark
Morally corrupt; vicious
Dark deeds.
A dark past.
Black
Blackcurrant cordial
A rum and black
Dark
Having richness or depth
A dark, melancholy vocal tone.
Black
Make (something) black, especially with polish
The steps of the house were neatly blacked
Dark
Not giving performances; closed
The movie theater is dark on Mondays.
Black
Refuse to handle (goods), undertake (work), or have dealings with (a person or business) as a way of taking industrial action
The union blacked the film because overtime was not being paid
Dark
(Linguistics) Pronounced with the back of the tongue raised toward the velum. Used of the sound (l) in words like full.
Black
Being of the color black, producing or reflecting comparatively little light and having no predominant hue.
Dark
Absence of light.
Black
Having little or no light
A black, moonless night.
Dark
A place having little or no light.
Black
Of or belonging to a racial group having brown to black skin, especially one of African origin
The black population of South Africa.
Dark
Night; nightfall
Home before dark.
Black
Of or belonging to an American ethnic group descended from African peoples having dark skin; African American.
Dark
A deep hue or color.
Black
Very dark in color
Rich black soil.
Black, wavy hair.
Dark
Darks Pieces of laundry having a dark color.
Black
Being a trail, as for skiing, marked with a sign having a black diamond, indicating a high level of difficulty.
Dark
Having an absolute or (more often) relative lack of light.
The room was too dark for reading.
Black
Soiled, as from soot; dirty
Feet black from playing outdoors.
Dark
(of a source of light) Extinguished.
Dark signals should be treated as all-way stop signs.
Black
Evil; wicked
The pirates' black deeds.
Dark
Deprived of sight; blind.
Black
Cheerless and depressing; gloomy
Black thoughts.
Dark
Transmitting, reflecting, or receiving inadequate light to render timely discernment or comprehension: caliginous, darkling, dim, gloomy, lightless, sombre.
Black
Being or characterized by morbid or grimly satiric humor
A black comedy.
Dark
(of colour) Dull or deeper in hue; not bright or light.
My sister's hair is darker than mine;
Her skin grew dark with a suntan
Black
Marked by anger or sullenness
Gave me a black look.
Dark
Ambiguously or unclearly expressed: enigmatic, esoteric, mysterious, obscure, undefined.
Black
Attended with disaster; calamitous
A black day.
The stock market crash on Black Friday.
Dark
Marked by or conducted with secrecy: hidden, secret; clandestine, surreptitious.
Black
Deserving of, indicating, or incurring censure or dishonor
“Man ... has written one of his blackest records as a destroyer on the oceanic islands” (Rachel Carson).
Dark
Without moral or spiritual light; sinister, malign.
A dark villain;
A dark deed
Black
Wearing clothing of the darkest visual hue
The black knight.
Dark
Conducive to hopelessness; depressing or bleak.
The Great Depression was a dark time;
The film was a dark psychological thriller
Black
Served without milk or cream
Black coffee.
Dark
(of a time period) Lacking progress in science or the arts.
Black
Appearing to emanate from a source other than the actual point of origin. Used chiefly of intelligence operations
Black propaganda.
Black radio transmissions.
Dark
Extremely sad, depressing, or somber, typically due to, or marked by, a tragic or undesirable event.
September 11, 2001, the day when four terrorist attacks destroyed the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, is often referred to as America's dark day.
Black
Disclosed, for reasons of security, only to an extremely limited number of authorized persons; very highly classified
Black programs in the Defense Department.
The Pentagon's black budget.
Dark
With emphasis placed on the unpleasant aspects of life; said of a work of fiction, a work of nonfiction presented in narrative form, or a portion of either.
The ending of this book is rather dark.
Black
Chiefly British Boycotted as part of a labor union action.
Dark
Off the air; not transmitting.
Black
The achromatic color value of minimum lightness or maximum darkness; the color of objects that absorb nearly all light of all visible wavelengths; one extreme of the neutral gray series, the opposite being white. Although strictly a response to zero stimulation of the retina, the perception of black appears to depend on contrast with surrounding color stimuli.
Dark
A complete or (more often) partial absence of light.
Dark surrounds us completely.
Black
A pigment or dye having this color value.
Dark
(uncountable) Ignorance.
We kept him in the dark.
The lawyer was left in the dark as to why the jury was dismissed.
Black
Complete or almost complete absence of light; darkness.
Dark
(uncountable) Nightfall.
It was after dark before we got to playing baseball.
Black
Clothing of the darkest hue, especially such clothing worn for mourning.
Dark
A dark shade or dark passage in a painting, engraving, etc.
Black
A member of a racial group having brown to black skin, especially one of African origin.
Dark
(intransitive) To grow or become dark, darken.
Black
An American descended from peoples of African origin having brown to black skin; an African American.
Dark
(intransitive) To remain in the dark, lurk, lie hidden or concealed.
Black
Something that is colored black.
Dark
(transitive) To make dark, darken; to obscure.
Black
The black-colored pieces, as in chess or checkers.
Dark
Destitute, or partially destitute, of light; not receiving, reflecting, or radiating light; wholly or partially black, or of some deep shade of color; not light-colored; as, a dark room; a dark day; dark cloth; dark paint; a dark complexion.
O dark, dark, dark, amid the blaze of noon,Irrecoverably dark, total eclipseWithout all hope of day!
In the dark and silent grave.
Black
The player using these pieces.
Dark
Not clear to the understanding; not easily seen through; obscure; mysterious; hidden.
The dark problems of existence.
What may seem dark at the first, will afterward be found more plain.
What's your dark meaning, mouse, of this light word?
Black
The condition of making or operating at a profit
Worked hard to get the business back into the black.
Dark
Destitute of knowledge and culture; in moral or intellectual darkness; unrefined; ignorant.
The age wherein he lived was dark, but heCould not want light who taught the world to see.
The tenth century used to be reckoned by mediæval historians as the darkest part of this intellectual night.
Black
To make black
Blacked their faces with charcoal.
Dark
Evincing black or foul traits of character; vile; wicked; atrocious; as, a dark villain; a dark deed.
Left him at large to his own dark designs.
Black
To apply blacking to
Blacked the stove.
Dark
Foreboding evil; gloomy; jealous; suspicious.
More dark and dark our woes.
A deep melancholy took possesion of him, and gave a dark tinge to all his views of human nature.
There is, in every true woman-s heart, a spark of heavenly fire, which beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity.
Black
Chiefly British To boycott as part of a labor union action.
Dark
Deprived of sight; blind.
He was, I think, at this time quite dark, and so had been for some years.
Black
To become black.
Dark
Absence of light; darkness; obscurity; a place where there is little or no light.
Here stood he in the dark, his sharp sword out.
Black
(of an object) Absorbing all light and reflecting none; dark and hueless.
Dark
The condition of ignorance; gloom; secrecy.
Look, what you do, you do it still i' th' dark.
Till we perceive by our own understandings, we are as much in the dark, and as void of knowledge, as before.
Black
(of a place, etc) Without light.
Dark
A dark shade or dark passage in a painting, engraving, or the like; as, the light and darks are well contrasted.
The lights may serve for a repose to the darks, and the darks to the lights.
Black
(sometimes capitalized) Belonging to or descended from any of various (African, Aboriginal, etc) ethnic groups which typically have dark pigmentation of the skin. See usage notes below.
Dark
To darken; to obscure.
Black
(US) Belonging to or descended from any of various sub-Saharan African ethnic groups which typically have dark pigmentation of the skin.
Dark
Absence of light or illumination
Black
Designated for use by those ethnic groups (as described above).
Black drinking fountain; black hospital
Dark
Absence of moral or spiritual values;
The powers of darkness
Black
Of the spades or clubs suits. Compare of the hearts or diamonds suit
I was dealt two red queens, and he got one of the black queens.
Dark
An unilluminated area;
He moved off into the darkness
Black
Bad; evil; ill-omened.
Dark
The time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
Black
Expressing menace, or discontent; threatening; sullen.
He shot her a black look.
Dark
An unenlightened state;
He was in the dark concerning their intentions
His lectures dispelled the darkness
Black
(of objects, markets, etc) Illegitimate, illegal or disgraced.
Dark
Devoid or partially devoid of light or brightness; shadowed or black or somber-colored;
Sitting in a dark corner
A dark day
Dark shadows
The theater is dark on Mondays
Dark as the inside of a black cat
Black
Foul; dirty, soiled.
Dark
(used of color) having a dark hue;
Dark green
Dark glasses
Dark colors like wine red or navy blue
Black
Overcrowded.
Dark
Brunet (used of hair or skin or eyes);
Dark eyes
Black
(of coffee or tea) Without any cream, milk, or creamer.
Jim drinks his coffee black, but Ellen prefers it with creamer.
Dark
Stemming from evil characteristics or forces; wicked or dishonorable;
Black deeds
A black lie
His black heart has concocted yet another black deed
Darth Vader of the dark side
A dark purpose
Dark undercurrents of ethnic hostility
The scheme of some sinister intelligence bent on punishing him
Black
Of or relating to the playing pieces of a board game deemed to belong to the "black" set (in chess the set used by the player who moves second) often regardless of the pieces' actual colour.
The black pieces in this chess set are made of dark blue glass.
Dark
Causing dejection;
A blue day
The dark days of the war
A week of rainy depressing weather
A disconsolate winter landscape
The first dismal dispiriting days of November
A dark gloomy day
Grim rainy weather
Black
(politics) Anarchist; of or pertaining to anarchism.
Dark
Secret;
Keep it dark
The dark mysteries of Africa and the fabled wonders of the East
Black
(typography) Said of a symbol or character that is solid, filled with color. Compare said of a character or symbol outline, not filled with color.
Dark
Showing a brooding ill humor;
A dark scowl
The proverbially dour New England Puritan
A glum, hopeless shrug
He sat in moody silence
A morose and unsociable manner
A saturnine, almost misanthropic young genius
A sour temper
A sullen crowd
Black
(politics) Related to the Christian Democratic Union of Germany.
After the election, the parties united in a black-yellow alliance.
Dark
Lacking enlightenment or knowledge or culture;
This benighted country
Benighted ages of barbarism and superstition
The dark ages
A dark age in the history of education
Black
Clandestine; relating to a political, military, or espionage operation or site, the existence or details of which is withheld from the general public.
5 percent of the Defense Department funding will go to black projects.
Black operations/black ops, black room, black site
Dark
Marked by difficulty of style or expression;
Much that was dark is now quite clear to me
Those who do not appreciate Kafka's work say his style is obscure
Black
Occult; relating to something (such as mystical or magical knowledge) which is unknown to or kept secret from the general public.
Dark
Having skin rich in melanin pigments;
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The dark races
Dark-skinned peoples
Black
Protestant, often with the implication of being militantly pro-British or anti-Catholic. 1=Compare blackmouth ("Presbyterian").
The Royal Black Institution
Dark
Not giving performances; closed;
The theater is dark on Mondays
Black
Having one or more features (hair, fur, armour, clothes, bark, etc) that is dark (or black); in taxonomy, especially: dark in comparison to another species with the same base name.
Black birch, black locust, black rhino
The black knight, black bile
Dark
Lacking or having very little light.
It gets dark early in winter.
Black
The colour/color perceived in the absence of light, but also when no light is reflected, but rather absorbed.
Dark
Secretive or mysterious.
He has a dark past that he doesn't discuss.
Black
A black dye or pigment.
Dark
Morbid or grim.
The movie had a dark theme.
Black
(countable) A pen, pencil, crayon, etc., made of black pigment.
Black
(in the plural) Black cloth hung up at funerals.
Black
A member of descendant of any of various (African, Aboriginal, etc) ethnic groups which typically have dark pigmentation of the skin. See usage notes.
Black
(informal) Blackness, the condition of belonging to or being descended from one of these ethnic groups.
Black don't crack
Black
The black ball.
Black
The edge of home plate.
Black
A type of firecracker that is really more dark brown in colour.
Black
, especially as syrup or crème de cassis used for cocktails.
Pernod and black... snakebite and black... cider and black...
Black
The person playing with the black set of pieces.
At this point black makes a disastrous move.
Black
(countable) Something, or a part of a thing, which is black.
Black
A stain; a spot.
Black
A dark smut fungus, harmful to wheat.
Black
Marijuana.
Black
(transitive) To make black; to blacken.
Black
(transitive) To apply blacking to (something).
Black
To boycott, usually as part of an industrial dispute.
Black
(pornography) of a white woman To be fucked by a black man.
Black
Destitute of light, or incapable of reflecting it; of the color of soot or coal; of the darkest or a very dark color, the opposite of white; characterized by such a color; as, black cloth; black hair or eyes.
O night, with hue so black!
Black
In a less literal sense: Enveloped or shrouded in darkness; very dark or gloomy; as, a black night; the heavens black with clouds.
I spy a black, suspicious, threatening cloud.
Black
Fig.: Dismal, gloomy, or forbidding, like darkness; destitute of moral light or goodness; atrociously wicked; cruel; mournful; calamitous; horrible.
Black
Expressing menace, or discontent; threatening; sullen; foreboding; as, to regard one with black looks.
Black
Sullenly; threateningly; maliciously; so as to produce blackness.
Black
That which is destitute of light or whiteness; the darkest color, or rather a destitution of all color; as, a cloth has a good black.
Black is the badge of hell,The hue of dungeons, and the suit of night.
Black
A black pigment or dye.
Black
A negro; a person whose skin is of a black color, or shaded with black; esp. a member or descendant of certain African races.
Black
A black garment or dress; as, she wears black
Friends weeping, and blacks, and obsequies, and the like show death terrible.
That was the full time they used to wear blacks for the death of their fathers.
Black
The part of a thing which is distinguished from the rest by being black.
The black or sight of the eye.
Black
A stain; a spot; a smooch.
Defiling her white lawn of chastity with ugly blacks of lust.
Black
To make black; to blacken; to soil; to sully.
They have their teeth blacked, both men and women, for they say a dog hath his teeth white, therefore they will black theirs.
Sins which black thy soul.
Black
To make black and shining, as boots or a stove, by applying blacking and then polishing with a brush.
Black
The quality or state of the achromatic color of least lightness (bearing the least resemblance to white)
Black
Total absence of light;
They fumbled around in total darkness
In the black of night
Black
British chemist who identified carbon dioxide and who formulated the concepts of specific heat and latent heat (1728-1799)
Black
Popular child actress of the 1930's (born 1927)
Black
A person with dark skin who comes from Africa (or whose ancestors came from Africa)
Black
(board games) the darker pieces
Black
Black clothing (worn as a sign of mourning);
The widow wore black
Black
Make or become black;
The smoke blackened the ceiling
The ceiling blackened
Black
Being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light;
Black leather jackets
As black as coal
Rich black soil
Black
Of or belonging to a racial group having dark skin especially of sub-Saharan African origin;
A great people--a black people--...injected new meaning and dignity into the veins of civilization
Black
Marked by anger or resentment or hostility;
Black looks
Black words
Black
Stemming from evil characteristics or forces; wicked or dishonorable;
Black deeds
A black lie
His black heart has concocted yet another black deed
Darth Vader of the dark side
A dark purpose
Dark undercurrents of ethnic hostility
The scheme of some sinister intelligence bent on punishing him
Black
Offering little or no hope;
The future looked black
Prospects were bleak
Life in the Aran Islands has always been bleak and difficult
Took a dim view of things
Black
(of events) having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences; bringing ruin;
The stock market crashed on Black Friday
A calamitous defeat
The battle was a disastrous end to a disastrous campaign
Such doctrines, if true, would be absolutely fatal to my theory
It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it
A fateful error
Black
(of the face) made black especially as with suffused blood;
A face black with fury
Black
Extremely dark;
A black moonless night
Through the pitch-black woods
It was pitch-dark in the celler
Black
Harshly ironic or sinister;
Black humor
A grim joke
Grim laughter
Fun ranging from slapstick clowning ... to savage mordant wit
Black
(of intelligence operations) deliberately misleading;
Black propaganda
Black
Distributed or sold illicitly;
The black economy pays no taxes
Black
(used of conduct or character) deserving or bringing disgrace or shame;
Man...has written one of his blackest records as a destroyer on the oceanic islands
An ignominious retreat
Inglorious defeat
An opprobrious monument to human greed
A shameful display of cowardice
Black
(of coffee) without cream or sugar
Black
Dressed in black;
A black knight
Black friars
Black
Soiled with dirt or soot;
With feet black from playing outdoors
His shirt was black within an hour
Common Curiosities
What are the cultural connotations of black?
Black can symbolize mystery, power, elegance, death, and rebirth.
Is black the absence of all colors?
Yes, in terms of light, black represents the absence of all colors.
Can something be darker than black?
No, black is the extreme end of darkness, representing the total absence of light.
Is "dark" used to refer to racial or ethnic groups?
"Dark" can indicate a deeper or tanned complexion but doesn't specify a particular racial or ethnic group.
Is there a fixed definition of "dark" in color models?
No, "dark" is relative and represents a spectrum of shades, unlike black which has a fixed point.
Does "dark" have cultural or symbolic meanings?
Yes, "dark" can signify the unknown, fear, something hidden, or obscurity.
Can "black" be used in positive expressions?
Absolutely, expressions like "black tie event" convey formality and elegance.
How is "black" represented in RGB color model?
In the RGB color model, black is represented as (0,0,0).
Can "dark" mean serious or grave?
Yes, in certain contexts "dark" can refer to something serious, grave, or somber.
Can "black" refer to a specific racial group?
Yes, "black" can refer specifically to people of African descent, particularly in the U.S.
Is "dark" always associated with the absence of light?
No, "dark" can also refer to deeper shades of colors or to secretive or mysterious concepts.
Is there a color darker than black?
In terms of perception, black is the darkest color, representing a complete absence of light.
What does the phrase "in the dark" mean?
"In the dark" means lacking knowledge or clarity about something.
Can "dark" relate to moods or themes?
Yes, "dark" can describe moods, themes, or stories that are grim, morbid, or pessimistic.
Are both "black" and "dark" used metaphorically in language?
Yes, both words have metaphorical uses in language, often relating to mood, knowledge, or secrecy.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
