dark pattern
dark pattern noun: a user interface that is intentionally designed to trick users into doing things that are not in their own best interest, such as giving up more information, or agreeing to unfavourable terms.
Noun
dark pattern (plural dark patterns)
- A user interface that is intentionally designed to trick users into doing things that are not in their own best interest, such as giving up more information, or agreeing to unfavourable terms.
- It was really easy to register an account on the app, but the option to delete my account seemed almost impossible, which made me feel like a victim of a dark pattern.
- The Impersonation dark pattern occurs when these broadcasts communicate actions users never performed, thus misleading others.2014, Chris Lewis, Irresistible Apps: Motivational Design Patterns for Apps, Games, and Web-based Communities
Forms of dark pattern
| plural | dark patterns |
|---|
Origin of dark pattern
Coined by user-experience consultant Harry Brignull in 2010.
Questions about dark pattern
- What does dark pattern mean?
- Dark pattern means a user interface that is intentionally designed to trick users into doing things that are not in their own best interest, such as giving up more information, or agreeing to unfavourable terms.
- What part of speech is dark pattern?
- Dark pattern is a noun.
- What is the plural of dark pattern?
- The plural of dark pattern is dark patterns.
Words near dark pattern in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: dark pattern (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “dark pattern.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/dark_pattern. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.