darkness
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darkness
The state in which there is no light or only very little light, for example at night or in a room without windows.
Als der Strom ausfiel, saßen wir in völliger Dunkelheit.
When the power went out, we sat in complete darkness.
darkness
In a figurative sense, a state of ignorance, evil, sadness, or hopelessness.
Die Aufklärung kämpfte gegen die Dunkelheit des Aberglaubens.
The Enlightenment fought against the darkness of superstition.
The noun 'Dunkelheit' (darkness) is derived from the adjective 'dunkel' (dark). The ending '-heit' is often used in German to form abstract nouns from adjectives that describe a state or quality.
Die Schönheit der Natur ist atemberaubend.
The beauty of nature is breathtaking.
You can tell from the context whether the literal or figurative meaning is intended. If it is about light, night, or seeing, it is literal. If it is about knowledge, fear, or hope, it is usually meant figuratively.
Viele Kinder haben Angst vor der Dunkelheit im Keller.
Many children are afraid of the darkness in the basement.
In the literal sense, 'Dunkelheit' (darkness) is often combined with certain verbs and adjectives. Typical phrases are 'in der Dunkelheit tappen' (to grope around in the dark), 'die Dunkelheit bricht herein' (darkness falls), or 'völlige Dunkelheit' (complete darkness).
Im Winter bricht die Dunkelheit schon am Nachmittag herein.
In winter, darkness falls in the afternoon already.
The figurative meaning of 'Dunkelheit' (darkness) is often used in literary, philosophical, or poetic texts to describe a negative or unknown state.
Der Roman beschreibt die Dunkelheit in der menschlichen Seele.
The novel describes the darkness in the human soul.
dark
Dunkel is an adjective describing a place or situation with little light. Dunkelheit is the noun for this state itself. For the same observation, you might therefore say that a room is dark or that there is darkness there.
Nach dem Stromausfall herrschte im Keller völlige Dunkelheit.
After the power outage, the basement was completely dark.
Nach dem Stromausfall war der Keller völlig dunkel.
The basement was completely dark after the power outage.
