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Glite Dictionary
down a dark path

down a dark path

1 8.2
To start behaving in a bad or dangerous way that harms your life
  • idiom
  • Informal
: por un camino oscuro
  • So he went down a dark path, justifying it to himself by saying that he was doing it for the greater good.

Hey, Maverick, we've noticed that you're you're you're you're going down a dark path and you've been hanging out with gang members lately.

Examples

  • I'm a Army vet who went through a one year divorce that led me down a dark path of drinking and overeating and online shopping.

  • And while that is a very real stressor and can lead people down a dark path into a not so fun place, that's called pressure, brother.

  • And while that is a very real stressor and can lead people down a dark path into a not so fun place, that's called pressure, brother.

  • Hey, Maverick, we've noticed that you're you're you're you're going down a dark path and you've been hanging out with gang members lately.

    LOL Podcast

  • After losing his job, he felt he was going down a dark path as he started to rely on unhealthy coping mechanisms.

  • She began lying to her friends, which led her down a dark path filled with deceit and isolation.

  • Many people warned him that the choices he was making could lead him down a dark path that would be hard to escape.

Synonyms

to take the low road
vsdown a dark path
3 8.2

Act in a less honest way to get an advantage

moves into a harmful or morally doubtful situation rather than just choosing selfish action
to pave the road to hell
vsdown a dark path
  • Informal
9.1

To take actions that seem good but cause bad results

involves entering a harmful or morally doubtful situation rather than causing harm indirectly

Antonyms

positive
592 1.3

Having a good effect or benefit

virtuousness
1 6.9

Being honest and doing what is right

How Dangerous

down a dark path
  • Informal
1 8.2

Surface Forms

down a dark path positive

Morphology

down + a + dark + path

The meaning is a predictable metaphorical composition: 'down' signals movement into, 'dark' carries a negative/moral sense, and 'path' denotes a course of life, so together they convey entering a dangerous or morally questionable course. Because the sense depends on metaphorical extension of the constituent words (especially 'dark' = evil and 'path' = life course) rather than a novel idiom, a B1 learner who knows those senses can often infer the meaning, but it is not purely literal.

Etymology

Down a dark path may come from the picture of someone walking down a dark path at night, where they cannot see, can get lost, and may meet danger. So it means 'going into a dangerous or bad way of life'.