dark age

noun

: a time during which a civilization undergoes a decline: such as

Dark Ages plural : the European historical period from about a.d. 476 to about 1000

broadly : middle ages

or Dark Age : the Greek historical period of three to four centuries from about 1100 b.c.

—often plural

or Dark Age

: the primitive period in the development of something

—usually plural

in the dark ages of medicine

: a state of stagnation or decline

—usually plural

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web The dark age ideas of work as drudgery and sweat equity no longer hold up.

Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 10 Nov. 2022 It’s that his desolation of Auburn football is the beginning of some dark age for the Tigers.

Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 11 Oct. 2022 Unlike Peter, who modernized Russia and brought it closer to Europe, Mr. Putin is isolating Russia and moving it into a dark age.

Garry Kasparov, WSJ, 17 June 2022 China’s information dark age could be Russia’s future.

New York Times, 18 Mar. 2022 The most depressing aspect of the information dark age is the collective amnesia.

New York Times, 18 Mar. 2022 That includes western sanctions that have thrown the Russian economy back into a Soviet-era dark age and the arsenals of anti-tank and anti-aircraft rockets poured into Ukraine in the West's new proxy war with Russia.

Stephen Collinson, CNN, 7 Mar. 2022 The Apple TV+ series Foundation tells the story of a group of scientists trying to shepherd the galaxy through a centuries-long dark age.

Geek's Guide To The Galaxy, WIRED, 25 Feb. 2022 President Bill Clinton is speaking on television, full of optimism for the new century, while doomsday preppers stock up on ammo in anticipation of the Y2K bug plunging the world into a technological dark age.

Andrew Barker, Variety, 24 Jan. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dark age.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.