Dark vs. Bright — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Dark and Bright
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Compare with Definitions
Dark
Lacking or having very little light
A dark corner.
Bright
Giving out or reflecting much light; shining
The sun was dazzlingly bright
Her bright, dark eyes
Dark
Lacking brightness
A dark day.
Bright
Intelligent and quick-witted
A bright young journalist
A bright idea
Dark
Reflecting only a small fraction of incident light; tending toward black
Dark clothing.
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Bright
Cheerful and lively
She gave a bright smile
At breakfast she would be persistently bright and chirpy
Dark
Served without milk or cream
Dark coffee.
Bright
(of sound) clear, vibrant, and typically high-pitched
Her voice is fresh and bright
Dark
Being or having a complexion that is not light in color.
Bright
Brightly
A full moon shining bright
Dark
Sullen or threatening
A dark scowl.
Bright
Bold and vivid colours
A choice of colours from pastels through to brights
Dark
Characterized by gloom or pessimism; dismal or bleak
A dark day for the economy.
Dark predictions of what lies in store.
Bright
Headlights switched to full beam
He turned the brights on and we drove along the dirt road
Dark
Being or characterized by morbid or grimly satiric humor.
Bright
Emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts; shining.
Dark
Unknown or concealed; mysterious
A dark secret.
The dark workings of the unconscious.
Bright
Comparatively high on the scale of brightness
Bright red.
Dark
Lacking enlightenment, knowledge, or culture
A dark age in the history of education.
Bright
Full of light or illumination
A bright sunny day.
A stage bright with spotlights.
Dark
Evil in nature or effect; sinister
"churned up dark undercurrents of ethnic and religious hostility" (Peter Maas).
Bright
Characterizing a dyestuff that produces a highly saturated color; brilliant.
Dark
Morally corrupt; vicious
Dark deeds.
A dark past.
Bright
Glorious; splendid
One of the bright stars of stage and screen.
A bright moment in history.
Dark
Having richness or depth
A dark, melancholy vocal tone.
Bright
Full of promise and hope; auspicious
Had a bright future in publishing.
Dark
Not giving performances; closed
The movie theater is dark on Mondays.
Bright
Happy; cheerful
Bright faces.
Dark
(Linguistics) Pronounced with the back of the tongue raised toward the velum. Used of the sound (l) in words like full.
Bright
Quick to learn or understand; intelligent.
Dark
Absence of light.
Bright
High and clear
The bright sound of the trumpet section.
Dark
A place having little or no light.
Bright
Emitting much light; visually dazzling; luminous, lucent, radiant.
The sky was remarkably bright and blue on that beautiful summer day.
Dark
Night; nightfall
Home before dark.
Bright
Of light: brilliant, intense.
Could you please dim the light? It’s far too bright.
Dark
A deep hue or color.
Bright
Of an object, surface, etc.: reflecting much light; having a high lustre; gleaming, shiny.
Dark
Darks Pieces of laundry having a dark color.
Bright
Of a place: not dark; well-lit.
Dark
Having an absolute or (more often) relative lack of light.
The room was too dark for reading.
Bright
Of climate or weather: not cloudy or gloomy; fair; also, of a period of time, the sky, etc.: characterized by much sunshine and good weather.
Dark
(of a source of light) Extinguished.
Dark signals should be treated as all-way stop signs.
Bright
(figuratively)
Dark
Deprived of sight; blind.
Bright
Clearly apparent; conspicuous.
Dark
Transmitting, reflecting, or receiving inadequate light to render timely discernment or comprehension: caliginous, darkling, dim, gloomy, lightless, sombre.
Bright
Of a colour: not muted or pale; bold, brilliant, vivid.
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
Bright
Of an object, surface, etc.: having vivid colour(s); colourful.
The orange and blue walls of the sitting room were much brighter than the dull grey walls of the kitchen.
Dark
Ambiguously or unclearly expressed: enigmatic, esoteric, mysterious, obscure, undefined.
Bright
Of a musical instrument, sound, or a voice: clearly audible; clear, resounding, and often high-pitched.
Dark
Marked by or conducted with secrecy: hidden, secret; clandestine, surreptitious.
Bright
Of a room or other place: having acoustic qualities that tend to cause much echoing or reverberation of sound, particularly at high frequencies.
Dark
Without moral or spiritual light; sinister, malign.
A dark villain;
A dark deed
Bright
Of a scent or taste: not bland or mild; bold, sharp, strong.
Dark
Conducive to hopelessness; depressing or bleak.
The Great Depression was a dark time;
The film was a dark psychological thriller
Bright
Of a substance: clear, transparent; also, pure, unadulterated; (specifically) of wine: free of suspended particles; not cloudy; fine.
Dark
(of a time period) Lacking progress in science or the arts.
Bright
Glorious; illustrious.
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.
Bright
In good spirits; happy, optimistic.
I woke up today feeling so bright that I decided to have a little dance.
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.
Bright
Of the face or eyes, or a smile: showing happiness or hopefulness; cheerful, lively.
Dark
Off the air; not transmitting.
Bright
Of a person: lively, vivacious.
Dark
A complete or (more often) partial absence of light.
Dark surrounds us completely.
Bright
Of a period of history or time: happy, prosperous, successful.
She has a bright future ahead.
Dark
(uncountable) Ignorance.
We kept him in the dark.
The lawyer was left in the dark as to why the jury was dismissed.
Bright
Of an opportunity or outlook: having a reasonable chance of success; favourable, good.
If he trains hard, his chances of winning the competition are bright.
Dark
(uncountable) Nightfall.
It was after dark before we got to playing baseball.
Bright
Of conversation, writing, etc.: imaginative or sparkling with wit; clever, witty.
Dark
A dark shade or dark passage in a painting, engraving, etc.
Bright
Having a clear, quick intellect; intelligent.
She’s very bright. She was able to solve the problem without my help.
Dark
(intransitive) To grow or become dark, darken.
Bright
(archaic)
Dark
(intransitive) To remain in the dark, lurk, lie hidden or concealed.
Bright
(music) Of a rhythm or tempo: lively, upbeat.
Dark
(transitive) To make dark, darken; to obscure.
Bright
(metallurgy) Of a metal object or surface: lacking any protective coating or surface treatment for the prevention of corrosion.
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.
Bright
Brightness, glow.
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?
Bright
(figuratively) Glory, splendour.
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.
Bright
Something (especially a product intended for sale) that has vivid colours or a lustrous appearance.
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.
Bright
A person with a naturalistic worldview with no mystical or supernatural elements.
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.
Bright
(painting) An artist's brush used in acrylic and oil painting with a long ferrule and a flat, somewhat tapering bristle head.
Dark
Deprived of sight; blind.
He was, I think, at this time quite dark, and so had been for some years.
Bright
In a bright manner; brightly, glowingly, luminously, lustrously.
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.
Bright
(figuratively)
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.
Bright
Referring to colour: with bold or vivid colours; brightly, boldly, vividly.
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.
Bright
(archaic) Referring to sight, sound, understanding, etc.: clearly, distinctly; brightly.
Dark
To darken; to obscure.
Bright
(transitive) Often followed by up: to cast light on (someone or something); to brighten, to illuminate.
Dark
Absence of light or illumination
Bright
Often followed by up: to cause (someone or something) to be bright (in various senses); to brighten; specifically, to make (someone or something) energetic, or happy and optimistic.
Dark
Absence of moral or spiritual values;
The powers of darkness
Bright
Often followed by up: to become bright (in various senses); to brighten.
Dark
An unilluminated area;
He moved off into the darkness
Bright
Radiating or reflecting light; shedding or having much light; shining; luminous; not dark.
The sun was bright o'erhead.
The earth was dark, but the heavens were bright.
The public places were as bright as at noonday.
Dark
The time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
Bright
Transmitting light; clear; transparent.
From the brightest winesHe 'd turn abhorrent.
Dark
An unenlightened state;
He was in the dark concerning their intentions
His lectures dispelled the darkness
Bright
Having qualities that render conspicuous or attractive, or that affect the mind as light does the eye; resplendent with charms; as, bright beauty.
Bright as an angel new-dropped from the sky.
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
Bright
Having a clear, quick intellect; intelligent.
Dark
(used of color) having a dark hue;
Dark green
Dark glasses
Dark colors like wine red or navy blue
Bright
Sparkling with wit; lively; vivacious; shedding cheerfulness and joy around; cheerful; cheery.
Be bright and jovial among your guests.
Dark
Brunet (used of hair or skin or eyes);
Dark eyes
Bright
Illustrious; glorious.
In the brightest annals of a female reign.
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
Bright
Manifest to the mind, as light is to the eyes; clear; evident; plain.
That he may with more ease, with brighter evidence, and with surer success, draw the bearner on.
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
Bright
Of brilliant color; of lively hue or appearance.
Here the bright crocus and blue violet grew.
Dark
Secret;
Keep it dark
The dark mysteries of Africa and the fabled wonders of the East
Bright
Splendor; brightness.
Dark with excessive bright thy skirts appear.
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
Bright
Brightly.
I say it is the moon that shines so bright.
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
Bright
Emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts;
The sun was bright and hot
A bright sunlit room
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
Bright
Having striking color;
Bright greens
Brilliant tapestries
A bird with vivid plumage
Dark
Having skin rich in melanin pigments;
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The dark races
Dark-skinned peoples
Bright
Characterized by quickness and ease in learning;
Some children are brighter in one subject than another
Smart children talk earlier than the average
Dark
Not giving performances; closed;
The theater is dark on Mondays
Bright
Having lots of light either natural or artificial;
The room was bright and airy
A stage bright with spotlights
Bright
Made smooth and bright by or as if by rubbing; reflecting a sheen or glow;
Bright silver candlesticks
A burnished brass knocker
She brushed her hair until it fell in lustrous auburn waves
Rows of shining glasses
Shiny black patents
Bright
Splendid;
The bright stars of stage and screen
A bright moment in history
The bright pageantry of court
Bright
Not made dim or less bright;
Undimmed headlights
Surprisingly the curtain started to rise while the houselights were still undimmed
Bright
Clear and sharp and ringing;
The bright sound of the trumpet section
The brilliant sound of the trumpets
Bright
Characterized by happiness or gladness;
Bright faces
All the world seems bright and gay
Bright
Abounding with sunlight;
A bright sunny day
One shining norming
When it is warm and shiny
Bright
Full or promise;
Had a bright future in publishing
The scandal threatened an abrupt end to a promising political career
Bright
With brightness;
The stars shone brilliantly
The windows glowed jewel bright
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