"Dark" is a word we use often, whether talking about a dark night, dark colors, or even a dark mood. In French, while sombre or noir might be your go-to, there are actually many other ways to express this concept.

Learning these variations will not only expand your vocabulary but also allow you to describe things with greater precision and nuance, just like a native speaker.

Let's dive into 9 different ways to say "dark" in French and discover when to use each one!

The standard 'dark' (lack of light, gloomy) – sombre

The standard “dark” (lack of light, gloomy) – sombre

Sombre is a versatile adjective in French primarily meaning “dark” in the sense of a lack of light, but it also carries strong connotations of gloom, seriousness, or melancholy.

Unlike many French adjectives, sombre is invariable in gender, meaning it stays the same whether it describes a masculine or feminine noun. However, it does change for number:sombre - singular (e.g., une pièce sombre, un couloir sombre)sombres - plural (e.g., des pièces sombres, des couloirs sombres)

Its most direct usage is to describe a place or object that lacks light, appearing dim, shadowy, or unlit.

Beyond physical darkness, sombre often describes a mood, atmosphere, or even a color that is dark, gloomy, sad, or melancholic. Think of a “somber mood” or “somber colors.”

It can also refer to something serious, grave, or solemn, such as a “somber thought” or a “somber event.”

While both can mean “dark,” sombre specifically implies a lack of light or a gloomy/serious quality. Foncé, on the other hand, is primarily used to describe a dark shade of a color (e.g., bleu foncé - dark blue, vert foncé - dark green) and doesn't carry the same emotional weight.

Obscur also means “dark” or “dim,” but it often suggests mystery, difficulty to understand, or being unknown (e.g., un passé obscur - an obscure past, un point obscur - an unclear point). While there's overlap, sombre is more about the visual lack of light or emotional gloom.

The adverbial form, sombrement, means “darkly,” “gloomily,” or “gravely,” and is used to describe how an action is performed.

As with many rich adjectives, the precise meaning of sombre is often clarified by the context in which it's used, whether describing a physically dark room or a person's gloomy demeanor.

💡 * La pièce était très sombre sans les lumières. (The room was very dark without the lights.)

Il avait l'air sombre après avoir appris la nouvelle. (He looked gloomy after hearing the news.)

Les couleurs sombres de son tableau créent une atmosphère mélancolique. (The dark colors of his painting create a melancholic atmosphere.)

C'est une période sombre de l'histoire. (It's a dark/somber period in history.)

Elle s'habillait toujours en noir et en teintes sombres. (She always dressed in black and dark shades.)

The 'dark' (for colors, e.g., dark blue) – foncé

When you want to describe a color as 'dark' in French, the most common and direct word to use is foncé.

Foncé functions as an adjective and typically follows the color it modifies. For example, 'dark blue' becomes bleu foncé.

While foncé is an adjective that agrees in gender and number with the noun it describes (e.g., une robe foncée for 'a dark dress', des yeux foncés for 'dark eyes'), there's an important nuance when it modifies another color. In compound color expressions like bleu foncé, foncé often remains invariable (masculine singular), regardless of the noun's gender or number. For instance, you'd say des voitures bleu foncé (dark blue cars), not bleues foncées.

You'll frequently use foncé with colors like vert foncé (dark green), rouge foncé (dark red), gris foncé (dark grey), or marron foncé (dark brown). It's crucial to remember the invariable rule for foncé when it directly follows a color adjective. However, if foncé describes a noun directly without an intermediate color, standard agreement applies. Compare: des chemises vert foncé (dark green shirts - foncé is invariable) vs. des chemises foncées (dark shirts - foncées agrees).

The antonym of foncé is clair, meaning 'light'. So, bleu clair means 'light blue', providing a clear contrast to bleu foncé.

It's important to note that foncé specifically refers to the shade of a color. It is not generally used to describe a 'dark room' (for which you'd use sombre or obscur) or 'darkness' in a broader sense. Its domain is primarily within the spectrum of colors.

💡 * J'aime les couleurs foncées, surtout le bleu marine. (I like dark colors, especially navy blue.)

Elle porte une jupe vert foncé. (She is wearing a dark green skirt.)

Mes cheveux sont châtain foncé. (My hair is dark brown.)

Regarde ces yeux foncés, ils sont magnifiques. (Look at those dark eyes, they are magnificent.)

Il a peint le mur en gris foncé. (He painted the wall dark grey.)

The 'black' or 'very dark' (literal black, or intense darkness) – noir

The French word for 'black' is noir. It's a fundamental color adjective that also conveys a sense of intense darkness.

Like many French adjectives, noir changes its form to agree with the noun it modifies in gender and number: noir (masculine singular), noire (feminine singular), noirs (masculine plural), and noires (feminine plural).

Its most common and primary meaning is the color black. You'll use it to describe objects, animals, or clothing that are black in color.

Beyond just the color, noir is also widely used to describe things that are dark or very dark, sometimes even pitch black. This can apply to liquids like café noir (black coffee), the time of day like nuit noire (dark night), or food like chocolat noir (dark chocolate).

Furthermore, noir can take on figurative meanings, similar to English 'black'. It appears in expressions like humour noir (black humor), marché noir (black market), or série noire (a crime series or a series of unfortunate events).

As an adjective of color, noir typically follows the noun it describes. For example, you would say un chat noir (a black cat) or une robe noire (a black dress), rather than placing it before the noun.

💡 * J'ai acheté une voiture noire. (I bought a black car.)

Il fait nuit noire dehors. (It's pitch black outside.)

Je prends mon café noir, s'il vous plaît. (I'll take my coffee black, please.)

C'est un film noir très intéressant. (It's a very interesting film noir.)

Elle portait des chaussures noires. (She was wearing black shoes.)

The 'obscure' or 'dim' (often literary, lack of clarity or light) – obscur

The adjective obscur in French translates to 'obscure,' 'dim,' or 'dark' in English, signifying a lack of light or clarity.

Primarily, obscur describes something that lacks light, making it dim, gloomy, or dark. It can refer to a place, a color, or even the time of day.

Beyond physical light, obscur is frequently used in a figurative sense to describe something that is difficult to understand, unclear, mysterious, or unknown. This usage is common in literary contexts or when discussing complex ideas.

As an adjective, obscur must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies: obscure (feminine singular), obscurs (masculine plural), and obscures (feminine plural).

💡 * Une pièce obscure. (A dim room.)

Son passé reste obscur. (His past remains obscure.)

Des paroles obscures. (Obscure/unclear words.)

L'avenir est souvent obscur. (The future is often dim/uncertain.)

Elle a lu un poème très obscur. (She read a very obscure poem.)

The 'shadowy' or 'gloomy dark' (often with a mysterious or foreboding connotation) – ténébreux

The French adjective ténébreux translates primarily to 'shadowy,' 'gloomy dark,' or 'somber,' but it carries a depth beyond simple lack of light.

It often evokes a sense of mystery, obscurity, or a foreboding, melancholic quality. It's not just dark; it's a darkness that hints at something hidden or profound.

You'll frequently find ténébreux describing places like an ancient castle, a dense forest, or a mysterious alley, imbuing them with an ominous or enigmatic atmosphere.

When applied to a person, ténébreux suggests someone enigmatic, brooding, or possessing a certain dark charm or a mysterious, perhaps troubled, past. Think of a 'dark, brooding figure' in literature or film.

Remember that ténébreux (masculine singular) changes to ténébreuse (feminine singular), ténébreux (masculine plural), and ténébreuses (feminine plural) to agree with the noun it modifies.

💡 * Un château ténébreux. (A shadowy/gloomy castle.)

Son passé ténébreux intrigue tout le monde. (His shadowy/mysterious past intrigues everyone.)

Il a un regard ténébreux. (He has a gloomy/brooding look.)

L'ambiance de la forêt était ténébreuse. (The atmosphere of the forest was gloomy/eerie.)

Elle aime les personnages ténébreux dans les romans. (She likes dark/brooding characters in novels.)

The 'dismal' or 'dreary dark' (describing a somber, sad atmosphere) – lugubre

The French adjective lugubre translates to "dismal," "dreary," "somber," or "gloomy" in English. It describes something that evokes a strong sense of sadness, melancholy, or even dread.

Unlike simply "dark" (sombre), lugubre carries a heavy emotional weight, suggesting an atmosphere that is not just lacking light but is also inherently depressing, mournful, or even sinister. Think of a gothic novel setting or a perpetually rainy, gray day.

This adjective can be applied to a variety of nouns: a place (un endroit lugubre – a dismal place), weather (un temps lugubre – dreary weather), a mood (une ambiance lugubre – a somber atmosphere), a sound (un chant lugubre – a mournful song), or even a person's appearance or expression when they seem particularly sad or grim.

Lugubre is a strong word, always implying a deeply unpleasant or unsettling quality. It's not used for minor sadness but for profound gloom, often with an element of foreboding or despair. It's a word that paints a vivid, dark picture.

💡 * Le vieux château abandonné avait une atmosphère lugubre. (The old abandoned castle had a dismal atmosphere.)

Le temps était si lugubre que personne n'avait envie de sortir. (The weather was so dreary that no one wanted to go out.)

Elle portait des vêtements noirs et avait un air lugubre. (She wore black clothes and had a somber look.)

Le film se déroule dans un hôpital psychiatrique lugubre. (The film takes place in a dismal psychiatric hospital.)

On entendait un chant lugubre venant du cimetière. (We heard a mournful song coming from the cemetery.)

The 'shady' or 'darkened by shade' (describing a place with shadows) – ombragé

To describe a place that is shady or darkened by shade, the perfect French adjective is ombragé.

This term specifically refers to areas that are covered by natural shade, often from trees or buildings, providing a cool relief from the sun. It's commonly used for gardens, parks, terraces, or paths.

As an adjective, ombragé must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. So, you'll see it as ombragé (masculine singular), ombragée (feminine singular), ombragés (masculine plural), and ombragées (feminine plural).

💡 * Nous avons trouvé un coin très ombragé dans le parc. (We found a very shady spot in the park.)

J'aime les terrasses ombragées en été. (I like shady terraces in summer.)

Les chemins ombragés sont parfaits pour une promenade. (The shady paths are perfect for a walk.)

Cette forêt est très ombragée. (This forest is very shady.)

Elles cherchent des endroits ombragés pour pique-niquer. (They are looking for shady places to picnic.)

The 'dark night' (a specific phrase for a very dark night) – nuit noire

Nuit noire literally translates to 'black night' and is used to describe a night that is exceptionally dark, often due to the absence of moonlight, streetlights, or any other artificial light source. It emphasizes a profound lack of visibility.

While primarily a literal description, nuit noire can sometimes evoke a sense of mystery, difficulty, or even foreboding. It's a vivid phrase often used to set a scene or describe challenging conditions where light is scarce.

💡 * C'était une nuit noire, on ne voyait rien sans torche. (It was a very dark night, we couldn't see anything without a flashlight.)

Sous la nuit noire, les étoiles brillaient avec une intensité incroyable. (Under the dark night, the stars shone with incredible intensity.)

Le voleur a profité de la nuit noire pour s'introduire dans la maison. (The thief took advantage of the dark night to break into the house.)

Après la tempête, la nuit noire semblait encore plus épaisse. (After the storm, the dark night seemed even thicker.)

The 'semi-darkness' or 'twilight' (a state of partial darkness) – pénombre

In French, the word for 'semi-darkness' or 'twilight,' referring to a state of partial darkness, is pénombre. It describes a space or a moment where light is scarce but not entirely absent, creating a soft, often mysterious ambiance.

The term pénombre is derived from Latin, combining paene (almost) and umbra (shadow). This etymology perfectly encapsulates its meaning: 'almost shadow' or 'partial shadow,' highlighting the nuance between full light and complete darkness.

Pénombre is often used in a more descriptive or literary context than a purely factual one. It evokes a particular atmosphere, often associated with intimacy, mystery, contemplation, or even melancholy. You'll frequently find it describing interiors, landscapes at dusk, or scenes where light plays subtly with shadows.

While similar to words like crépuscule (twilight, specifically dawn or dusk) or obscurité (darkness, absence of light), pénombre specifically refers to a state of partial light within a space. Crépuscule is a time of day, and obscurité is a more absolute lack of light. Pénombre is about the quality of light (or lack thereof) in an environment.

You might encounter phrases like 'vivre dans la pénombre' (to live in semi-darkness, sometimes figuratively meaning obscurity or anonymity) or 'rester dans la pénombre' (to remain in the shadows). It's a word that adds a poetic touch to descriptions.

💡 *La pièce était plongée dans une douce pénombre. (The room was bathed in a soft semi-darkness.)
*Les arbres projetaient de longues ombres dans la pénombre du soir. (The trees cast long shadows in the twilight of the evening.)
*Elle aimait lire dans la pénombre, à la lumière d'une petite lampe. (She liked to read in the semi-darkness, by the light of a small lamp.)
*Le peintre a capturé la pénombre de la forêt avec des couleurs sombres. (The painter captured the semi-darkness of the forest with dark colors.)
*Dans la pénombre du couloir, il distingua une silhouette. (In the dim light of the hallway, he made out a silhouette.)

Are there other ways to say 'dark' in French?

Our list features the most common ways to say 'dark' in French. But just like in English, there are many nuances, from describing a dark color, to a dark mood, to a dark, ominous place. French is rich with variety!

You can also do an online search for “comment dire sombre en ___” followed by a specific Francophone country or region to discover local expressions.

You might find some interesting synonyms for sombre or other words related to darkness on this list. Of course, make sure to check a word’s definition and try to see it used in context before you use it.

Pay attention as you read, watch, and listen to things in French — you may discover different ways to talk about darkness, whether literal or figurative.

And if you’re looking for more ways to describe different kinds of darkness, or words about light and shadow in French, the WordReference entry for sombre is a great place to start!

I hope you found this article helpful. Here’s what I think is a perfect quote to finish it with, courtesy of Victor Hugo: Même la nuit la plus sombre finira et le soleil se lèvera. (Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.)

9 ways to say "dark" in French