1570s, "overtaken by darkness," past-participle adjective from obsolete verb benight (q.v.). Little used in the literal sense, usually it means "in intellectual or moral darkness" (1630s).
benighted (or nighted) travelers hurrying toward home
this benighted country
benighted ages of barbarism and superstition
Benelux
benevolence
benevolent
Bengal
benight
benighted
benign
benignant
benignity
Benin
benison