Dark vs. Gloomy: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Updated on December 26, 2023
Dark refers to the absence or low level of light, while gloomy implies a feeling of despair or sadness, often associated with dim light or overcast conditions.
Key Differences
Dark and gloomy are often used to describe visual and emotional atmospheres, respectively. Dark primarily refers to the lack of light, implying an environment where visibility is reduced. Gloomy, on the other hand, encompasses a broader emotional state, suggesting an atmosphere of despondence or depression, often accompanied by dim light or overcast skies.
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Dec 26, 2023
The term dark can be used in a literal sense, as in a room without lights, or metaphorically, to suggest something sinister or hidden. Gloomy, conversely, is frequently used to describe weather conditions, moods, or settings that are depressing or lacking in cheer.
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Dec 26, 2023
In literature and art, dark is often used to create a sense of mystery, fear, or foreboding. Gloomy settings or themes, however, are typically employed to evoke feelings of melancholy, despair, or pessimism.
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Dec 26, 2023
Dark may relate to color as well, indicating shades closer to black or having little to no hue. Gloomy, while it can refer to dimly lit or overcast conditions, is more often used to convey an emotional tone rather than a specific color palette.
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Dec 26, 2023
In the context of emotions or psychological states, dark can signify depression or negativity. However, gloomy is more directly associated with feelings of sadness, desolation, or hopelessness, often influenced by external factors like weather or environment.
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Dec 26, 2023
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Comparison Chart
Metaphorical Use
Sinister, unknown aspects
Depressing, melancholic atmosphere
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Relation to Color
Shades close to black, absence of hue
Not directly related to specific colors
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Emotional Connotation
Can imply negativity, depression
Directly associated with sadness, despondence
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Dark and Gloomy Definitions
Gloomy
Implies a pessimistic state of mind.
Her gloomy outlook on life was hard to change.
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Dec 26, 2023
Dark
Relating to deep shades close to black.
She wore a dark dress to the event.
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Gloomy
Used for settings that evoke sadness.
The old house had a gloomy appearance.
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Gloomy
Gloomy means having a feeling of despair.
The weather was gloomy, matching his mood.
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Gloomy
Partially or totally dark, especially dismal and dreary
A damp, gloomy day.
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Oct 19, 2023
Dark
Reflecting only a small fraction of incident light; tending toward black
Dark clothing.
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Oct 19, 2023
Gloomy
Not very illuminated; dim because of darkness, especially when appearing depressing or frightening.
The cavern was gloomy.
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Oct 19, 2023
Dark
Characterized by gloom or pessimism; dismal or bleak
A dark day for the economy.
Dark predictions of what lies in store.
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Oct 19, 2023
Gloomy
Suffering from gloom; melancholy; dejected.
A gloomy temper or countenance
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Oct 19, 2023
Dark
Unknown or concealed; mysterious
A dark secret.
The dark workings of the unconscious.
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Oct 19, 2023
Gloomy
Imperfectly illuminated; dismal through obscurity or darkness; dusky; dim; clouded; as, the cavern was gloomy.
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Oct 19, 2023
Dark
Lacking enlightenment, knowledge, or culture
A dark age in the history of education.
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Oct 19, 2023
Gloomy
Affected with, or expressing, gloom; melancholy; dejected; as, a gloomy temper or countenance.
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Oct 19, 2023
Dark
Evil in nature or effect; sinister
"churned up dark undercurrents of ethnic and religious hostility" (Peter Maas).
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Oct 19, 2023
Gloomy
Characterized by hopelessness; filled with gloom;
Gloomy at the thought of what he had to face
Gloomy predictions
A gloomy silence
Took a grim view of the economy
The darkening mood
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Oct 19, 2023
Gloomy
Depressing in character or appearance;
Drove through dingy streets
The dismal prison twilight
Drab old buildings
A dreary mining town
Gloomy tenements
Sorry routine that follows on the heels of death
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Oct 19, 2023
Gloomy
Depressingly dark;
The gloomy forest
The glooming interior of an old inn
`gloomful' is archaic
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Oct 19, 2023
Gloomy
Causing or suggestive of sorrow or gloom;
A gloomy outlook
Gloomy news
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Oct 19, 2023
Dark
(Linguistics) Pronounced with the back of the tongue raised toward the velum. Used of the sound (l) in words like full.
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Oct 19, 2023
Gloomy
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
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Oct 19, 2023
Gloomy
Indicates an absence of cheerfulness or hope.
The news painted a gloomy picture of the future.
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Dec 26, 2023
Dark
Having an absolute or (more often) relative lack of light.
The room was too dark for reading.
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Oct 19, 2023
Dark
(of a source of light) Extinguished.
Dark signals should be treated as all-way stop signs.
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Oct 19, 2023
Dark
Transmitting, reflecting, or receiving inadequate light to render timely discernment or comprehension: caliginous, darkling, dim, gloomy, lightless, sombre.
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Oct 19, 2023
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
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Oct 19, 2023
Dark
Ambiguously or unclearly expressed: enigmatic, esoteric, mysterious, obscure, undefined.
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Dark
Marked by or conducted with secrecy: hidden, secret; clandestine, surreptitious.
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Oct 19, 2023
Dark
Without moral or spiritual light; sinister, malign.
A dark villain;
A dark deed
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Oct 19, 2023
Dark
Conducive to hopelessness; depressing or bleak.
The Great Depression was a dark time;
The film was a dark psychological thriller
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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.
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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.
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Oct 19, 2023
Dark
A complete or (more often) partial absence of light.
Dark surrounds us completely.
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Oct 19, 2023
Dark
(uncountable) Ignorance.
We kept him in the dark.
The lawyer was left in the dark as to why the jury was dismissed.
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Oct 19, 2023
Dark
(uncountable) Nightfall.
It was after dark before we got to playing baseball.
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Oct 19, 2023
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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Dark
Deprived of sight; blind.
He was, I think, at this time quite dark, and so had been for some years.
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Oct 19, 2023
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.
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Oct 19, 2023
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.
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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.
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Oct 19, 2023
Dark
An unenlightened state;
He was in the dark concerning their intentions
His lectures dispelled the darkness
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Oct 19, 2023
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
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Oct 19, 2023
Dark
(used of color) having a dark hue;
Dark green
Dark glasses
Dark colors like wine red or navy blue
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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
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Oct 19, 2023
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
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Oct 19, 2023
Dark
Secret;
Keep it dark
The dark mysteries of Africa and the fabled wonders of the East
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Oct 19, 2023
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
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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
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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
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Oct 19, 2023
Dark
Having skin rich in melanin pigments;
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The dark races
Dark-skinned peoples
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Dark
Dark means lacking in light.
The room was dark after the lights went out.
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Dec 26, 2023
Dark
Refers to something hidden or unknown.
He had a dark past that he rarely talked about.
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Dec 26, 2023
Dark
Can signify depression or negativity.
He was in a dark mood after the news.
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Dec 26, 2023
Repeatedly Asked Queries
Does 'gloomy' relate to weather?
Yes, gloomy frequently describes overcast or dull weather conditions.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 26, 2023
What does 'dark' typically refer to?
Dark commonly refers to a lack of light or visibility.
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Dec 26, 2023
Can 'dark' have a psychological connotation?
Yes, it can signify depression, negativity, or a troubled state of mind.
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Dec 26, 2023
Is 'dark' used in color descriptions?
Dark describes colors close to black or with little hue.
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Dec 26, 2023
Is 'dark' always negative?
While often negative, 'dark' can also simply refer to the absence of light.
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Dec 26, 2023
Is 'gloomy' used to describe settings?
Yes, gloomy can describe settings that are melancholic or lacking cheer.
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Dec 26, 2023
What does a 'gloomy' theme in a story imply?
A gloomy theme typically implies a melancholic or pessimistic tone.
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Dec 26, 2023
How is 'gloomy' often used?
Gloomy is often used to describe a mood or atmosphere of despair.
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Dec 26, 2023
Can 'dark' imply something sinister?
Yes, dark can metaphorically suggest something sinister or unknown.
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Dec 26, 2023
Do 'dark' and 'gloomy' overlap in meaning?
They can overlap, especially in contexts describing mood or atmosphere.
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Dec 26, 2023
What emotional state does 'gloomy' convey?
Gloomy conveys emotions of sadness, despair, or desolation.
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Dec 26, 2023
How is 'dark' used in literature?
In literature, dark is used to create a sense of mystery or fear.
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Dec 26, 2023
Can 'dark' be associated with hidden aspects?
Yes, dark can metaphorically refer to secretive or unknown aspects.
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Dec 26, 2023
Can 'gloomy' describe a person's outlook?
Yes, it can describe a person's pessimistic or despondent outlook.
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Dec 26, 2023
Can 'gloomy' be a temporary state?
Yes, gloominess can be a temporary mood influenced by external factors.
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Dec 26, 2023
Does 'gloomy' indicate a specific color?
Gloomy does not directly relate to a specific color but to dimly lit conditions.
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Dec 26, 2023
How do artists use 'gloomy' in their work?
Artists use gloominess to evoke feelings of melancholy or pensiveness.
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Dec 26, 2023
What is the impact of 'dark' on storytelling?
Darkness in storytelling can add depth, suspense, or a sense of mystery.
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Dec 26, 2023
How does 'dark' relate to fear?
Darkness is often associated with fear due to the unknown or unseen.
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Dec 26, 2023
Is 'dark' used in expressions?
Yes, 'dark' appears in expressions like 'dark humor' or 'dark days.'
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Dec 26, 2023
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
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