Dark Ages

noun

1. the period in European history from about a.d. 476 to about 1000.

2. the whole of the Middle Ages, from about a.d. 476 to the Renaissance.

3. (often lowercase),  a period or stage marked by repressiveness, a lack of enlightenment or advanced knowledge, etc.

Dark Ages

plural noun

1. the period from about the late 5th century _ad to about 1000 _ad , once considered an unenlightened period

2. (occasionally) the whole medieval period

Dark Ages

1. A term sometimes applied to the early Middle Ages, the first few centuries after the Fall of Rome. The term suggests prevailing ignorance and barbarism, but there were forces for culture and enlightenment throughout the period.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Dark Ages¹

First recorded in 1720–30

Example Sentences

Monks from Ireland helped spread and then restore Christianity during the so-called Dark Ages.

From BBC

BBC Newsbeat spoke to the project leaders of the latest instalment, Doom: The Dark Ages, about navigating some of these challenges.

From BBC

Final Destination Bloodlines hits cinemas, Doom: The Dark Ages is released, and the second series of Inside Our Minds is out on BBC Two.

From BBC

That would put the Dark Ages monarchs of Europe to shame.

From Salon

And in terms of what we're doing here, they want to abolish all health care for women, to take us back beyond earlier than the Dark Ages.

From Salon