dunkler

Dunkler is the comparative form of the German adjective dunkel, meaning darker or more dark. It describes a higher degree of darkness or lower brightness and is used to compare two or more things or to attribute a darker quality to a noun.

Grammatical usage can vary with articles and number. With a definite article: der dunklere Raum. With an indefinite article: ein dunklerer Raum. Without a determiner (strong declension): dunkler Raum. In the plural: dunkle Räume (positive) and dunklere Räume (comparative). In predicative use, it can follow a linking verb: Der Himmel ist dunkler geworden. The comparative construction also appears in phrases such as dunkler als, meaning “darker than.”

In addition to literal darkness, dunkler can express mood or atmosphere. For example, dunklere Töne in einer Musikkomposition or dunkle Zeiten describe tones or periods with more somber or serious implications. The word is commonly used in everyday language as well as in journalism, literature, and art criticism to convey contrast in brightness, tone, or mood.

Semantic range and nuance: dunkler is closely related to finsterer and düsterer, though each carries its own shade—dunkler for a broad sense of reduced brightness, finsterer for a gloomier or more forbidding impression, and düsterer for a somber, melancholic mood.

Notes: dunkler remains an ordinary adjective in lowercase; capitalized forms such as Dunkler would appear only as part of a proper name or title.