darken

verb

dark·​en ˈdär-kən 

darkened; darkening ˈdär-kə-niŋ 

intransitive verb

1

: to grow dark : become obscured

the skies were darkening

2

: to become gloomy

his mood darkened

transitive verb

1

: to make dark

2

: to make less clear : obscure

the financial crisis darkened the future of the company

3

: taint, tarnish

darkened his reputation

4

: to cast a gloom over

5

: to make of darker color

darkener

ˈdär-kə-nər 

noun

Synonyms

• gloom
• glower
• lower
• lour

Examples of darken in a Sentence

The sky darkened and it started to rain.

Her face darkens to a deep red when she gets angry.

The wood will darken as it ages.

The bad news darkened his mood.

The last days of her life were darkened by illness.

His mood darkened after he heard the bad news.

Recent Examples on the Web

As totality approached the temperature dropped and the skies darkened. —Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024

As skies darkened Monday over North America during a rare solar eclipse, many people noticed bright dots — flickering spots that were reddish, pink and orange in hue — along the periphery of the moon and Sun. —John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 9 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing darken

• darken someone's door/doors

Kids Definition

darken

verb

dark·​en ˈdär-kən 

darkened; darkening ˈdärk-(ə-)niŋ 

1

: to make or grow dark or darker

the sky darkened

2

: to make or become gloomy or forbidding

her face darkened in anger

darkener

ˈdärk-(ə-)nər 

noun