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Glite Dictionary
in the dark

in the dark

110 5.5
Not told about important things, so you do not know them
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : desinformado
  • The data suggest that today's college students may be in the dark when it comes to political images.
  • kept in the dark
  • remain in the dark
  • left in the dark

Throughout these entire negotiations, Israel was not kept in the dark.

Examples

  • Critics say, however, that the public shouldn't be kept in the dark about real or potential environmental hazards.

    Academic text (2003)

  • Parents, in general, are somewhat in the dark when it comes to music education.

    Academic text (2006)

  • So why do we keep our students in the dark about how we view them?

    Academic text (2016)

  • In fact, even the U.S. Congress was left in the dark until the last minute.

    Academic text (1997)

  • Thus, voters and candidates were left in the dark almost up until the last minute.

    Academic text (1994)

  • I can't keep him in the dark about this.

    The Good Girl (2002)

  • Please don't let us be in the dark!

    Maximum Overdrive (1986)

  • In other areas, keeping the public in the dark is still the prevailing policy.

    Academic text (1995)

  • The public was kept in the dark, but the Justices knew exactly what they were doing.

    Academic text (2008)

  • Many employees felt in the dark about the company's future plans due to a lack of communication.

Synonyms

unaware
vsin the dark
175 2.9

Not knowing that something is happening or true

keeps people from hearing important matters rather than simply not noticing
clueless
vsin the dark
96 4.3

Not knowing about a subject or how to do something

keeps people from receiving important information without implying total ignorance
oblivious
vsin the dark
76 6.3

Not noticing what happens around you

keeps people without important information even when they notice surroundings
uninformed
vsin the dark
42 3.7

Not knowing about a subject or situation

keeps people from receiving important information rather than just lacking knowledge
unknowing
vsin the dark
5 5.8

Not aware that something is happening or true

keeps people from hearing important facts rather than just lacking general knowledge
none the wiser
vsin the dark
4 7.2

Not knowing any more after something is explained

keeps people from learning important facts rather than failing to gain knowledge after explanation
unknowledgeable
vsin the dark
1 7.1

Not knowing much about a subject

keeps people from specific important information rather than showing broad ignorance

Antonyms

aware
∞ 2.7

Knowing that something exists or is happening

informed
3.7

Someone who knows a lot about a subject because they have the facts

How Informed

well-informed
33 3.5
informed
3.7
aware
∞ 2.7
in the dark
  • Informal
110 5.5
clueless
96 4.3

Surface Forms

in the dark positive

Morphology

in + the + dark

The phrase maps the concrete sense of being 'in darkness' onto lack of information: a learner who knows 'in' (location) and 'dark' (lack of light/knowledge) can readily infer 'not knowing' from the constituents. This spatial/metaphorical mapping is common across languages and follows a simple compositional pattern, so the meaning is immediately accessible to B1 learners who know the words.

Etymology

The idiom in the dark comes from the simple image of being in a place with no light, so you cannot see what is happening. That's why it means 'not knowing' or 'being kept from knowing' about something.