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darkling

English

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darkling¹

  • /ˈdɑː(ɹ)klɪŋ/
  • /ˈdɑː(ɹ)k(ə)lɪŋ/

Rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)klɪŋ

Where it comes from

From Middle English derkelyng. By surface analysis, dark + -ling.

adverb

  1. not comparable In the dark; in obscurity. So, out went the candle, and we were left darkling.

darkling²

  • /ˈdɑː(ɹ)klɪŋ/
  • /ˈdɑː(ɹ)k(ə)lɪŋ/

Rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)klɪŋ

Where it comes from

Coined by Irish poet Mary Tighe in 1805, likely as an extension of the adverbial sense, and popularized by John Keats.

adjective

  1. not comparable, poetic Dark; growing dark; darkening. She still pursued its flight, with all the speed / Her fainting strength had hitherto supplied: / What pathless wilds she crossed ! What forests darkling wide !
  2. figuratively, not comparable Obscure; taking place unseen, as if in the dark.

darkling³

  • /ˈdɑː(ɹ)klɪŋ/
  • /ˈdɑː(ɹ)k(ə)lɪŋ/

Rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)klɪŋ

Where it comes from

From darkle + -ing, darkle itself a backformation from Tighe's adjectival sense.

noun

  1. rare, uncountable Darkness. She carried some rugs for me through the shrubbery in the darkling. "They'll think we've gone mooning," she said, jerking her head at the household. "I wonder what they make of us – criminals."

verb

  1. gerund, participle, present present participle and gerund of darkle

darkling⁴

  • /ˈdɑː(ɹ)klɪŋ/
  • /ˈdɑː(ɹ)k(ə)lɪŋ/

Rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)klɪŋ

noun darklings

  1. obsolete A child of darkness; someone dark by nature or who has grown dark in character.
  2. A creature that lives in the dark.
  3. poetic A demon.

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Cite this
MLA

"darkling." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/darkling. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

darkling. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/darkling

Chicago

"darkling." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/darkling.

BibTeX
@misc{darkling_2026,
  title = {darkling},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/darkling},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}