darkly

[ dahrk-lee ]

adverb

1. so as to appear dark.
2. vaguely; mysteriously.
3. in a vaguely threatening or menacing manner:

   He hinted darkly that we had not heard the last of the matter.

4. imperfectly; faintly.

Word History and Origins

Origin of darkly¹

before 1000; Middle English derkly, Old English deorclīce (in figurative sense only). See dark, -ly

Example Sentences

While she opened by darkly warning of an “unstable” and “unhinged” Trump “obsessed with revenge”, she turned to focus on what she called her “different path”.

From BBC

Jimmy struggles to tell Alice and in a darkly humourous moment, blurting out, "Speaking of cars, do you remember what happened to your mom in one? Godd**nit!"

From Salon

They will go as Cole Escola and Conrad Ricamora, who play Mary Todd Lincoln and Abraham Lincoln, respectively, in the darkly comic Broadway play “Oh, Mary!”

From Los Angeles Times

But the most famous — and notorious — of Han’s oeuvre is “The Vegetarian,” a darkly surreal tale about a woman who spirals into madness after vowing to give up meat.

From Los Angeles Times

A battle of wits between Berle and Chase becomes a darkly funny game of one-upmanship — even if Uncle Milty literally resorts to swinging his d**k around to show Chase who is boss.

From Salon

Related Words

• desperately
• sadly