  We present a microscopic study on higher excitonic states in transition metal
dichalcogenides in the presence of disorder. We show that the geometric phase
cancels the degeneration of 2s and 2p states and that a significant
disorder-induced coupling of bright and dark states offers a strategy to
circumvent optical selection rules. As a prove, we show a direct fingerprint of
dark 2p states in absorption spectra of WS$_2$. The predicted softening of
optical selection rules through exciton-disorder coupling is of general nature
and therefore applicable to related two-dimensional semiconductors.
