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Glite Dictionary
act of darkness

act of darkness

9.9
A very bad action that harms people
  • noun
  • Literature
translation icon : acto de oscuridad
  • He confessed his act of darkness in a letter before leaving town.

Examples

  • Many saw the betrayal as an act of darkness that shattered their trust.

  • The novel tells the story of an act of darkness that haunts the village for generations.

  • The villain's act of darkness shocked the entire community.

  • Many believe that an act of darkness can lead to severe consequences.

  • In the novel, the villain's act of darkness led to the downfall of the entire kingdom.

  • The community rallied together to condemn the act of darkness that had shattered their quiet town.

  • Many believe that his act of darkness will haunt him for the rest of his life.

Synonyms

evil
vsact of darkness
∞ 3.0

Bad actions or a force that harms people

focuses on a particular immoral deed rather than a general moral quality
villainy
vsact of darkness
16 8.1

Very bad actions that hurt other people

is applied more as a single formal or literary deed label
evildoing
vsact of darkness
1 7.3

Bad actions that harm people or break the law

is used more as a literary or formal label for a wicked deed

Antonyms

act of kindness
14 2.1

A small helpful action someone does to make another person's day better

How Evil

evil
∞ 3.0
act of darkness
  • Literature
9.9
wrongdoing
117 3.7
misdeed
23 6.2

Surface Forms

act of darkness singular
acts of darkness plural

Morphology

act + of + darkness

The phrase pairs 'act' (deed) with 'darkness' used metaphorically for evil, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer a deed characterized by moral evil. Although somewhat literary, the noun+of+noun composition is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, making the meaning readily derivable from the parts.

Etymology

Act of darkness comes from a simple image: someone committing an act in the darkness so no one can see them. In stories, darkness often stands for 'evil' or 'secrecy', so the phrase now means a 'morally wrong' or hidden bad deed.