oscuridad
/oskuɾiˈdad/feminine
The English word darkness is oscuridad in Spanish.
oscuridad is used to describe the state of being dark.
Meaning: state of being dark (noun)
Which one should you use?
While oscuridad refers to the state of being dark, the word tinieblas is often used in a more poetic or religious sense to refer to 'the darkness' or 'the shadows'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun oscuridad is feminine, so it must be preceded by feminine articles like la or feminine adjectives like total. The adjective form of the noun oscuridad is oscuro.
How do you pronounce it?
/oskuɾiˈdad/
Did you know?
- If you want to describe a 'dark comedy' in Spanish, you would use the term comedia negra. The word oscuridad is rarely used to describe genres of art or storytelling.
- The word oscuridad shares a root with the Latin obscūrus, which originally meant 'covered' or 'hidden'. This reflects an ancient view that darkness is not an entity, but a covering of light.
- Spanish speakers use the phrase quedarse a oscuras to describe a power outage. This literally means 'to stay in the dark', but it is the standard way to say the electricity went out.
Examples in context
- La oscuridad me trae paz.Darkness brings me peace.Tatoeba #9062069 by rafaeldejesus8199, translation #9062070 by rafaeldejesus8199
- La oscuridad huye al amanecer.Darkness flees at sunrise.Tatoeba #6623758 by Schuager, translation #6622812 by CarpeLanam
- ¿Por qué me besaste en la oscuridad?Why did you kiss me in the darkness?Tatoeba #2888258 by marcelostockle, translation #2889941 by AlanF_US
- La oscuridad de la nocheThe darkness of the night
- En las tinieblas de la madrugadaIn the darkness of dawn
- ¡Apaga la luz, quiero oscuridad!Turn off the light, I want darkness!
- El bosque está lleno de tinieblasThe forest is full of darkness
- 31 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and María are sitting in a living room with no lights on.
- MateoNo puedo ver nada en la oscuridad.I cannot see anything in the darkness.
- MaríaEs por la oscuridad de la habitación, Mateo.It is because of the darkness in the room, Mateo.
- MateoEnciende la luz, por favor.Turn on the light, please.
- MaríaEstá bien, ya lo hago.Okay, I'm doing it now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “darkness” translations and entries oscuridad, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
