1
as in to frown
to take on a gloomy or forbidding look
his face slowly darkened as we told him the sad news
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in to obscure
to make dark, dim, or indistinct
years of accumulated grime have darkened the painting until it can barely be seen
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to mar
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
the scandal darkened his otherwise sterling reputation
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of darken
Experts warn the vast basin, fed by the murky Tidal Basin and darkened by new paint that warms the water, may never stay algae-free without more drastic measures.
—
Katie Vogel,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2026
Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until mixture darkens slightly, about 3 minutes.
—
Shilpa Uskokovic,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
15 June 2026
Moisture creates ideal growing conditions, allowing algae colonies to expand and darken over time.
—
Colleen Sullivan,
Martha Stewart,
14 June 2026
About the same time the wild pigeons, which used to darken the sun with their flights, left here, never to return.
—
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for darken
Katie Vogel,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2026
Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until mixture darkens slightly, about 3 minutes.
—
Shilpa Uskokovic,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
15 June 2026
Moisture creates ideal growing conditions, allowing algae colonies to expand and darken over time.
—
Colleen Sullivan,
Martha Stewart,
14 June 2026
About the same time the wild pigeons, which used to darken the sun with their flights, left here, never to return.
—
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for darken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for darken
Verb
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The upstairs neighbors would like to go to sleep somewhere between 9 at night and midnight, and so applause was frowned upon at the Gaslight.
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Oftentimes, disabling security protections is frowned upon.
Verb
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But Rosales said that tradition was fading, possibly another casualty of a more cutthroat political climate.
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The pen barrel depicts fields of wheat that fade into plowed farmland and trees, with distant mountains rising beneath a vast open sky.
Verb
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The irony is a bit hard to ignore — the very environment being modified to protect or maintain beaches was simultaneously obscuring the ecological processes happening just offshore.
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And what’s a novelist but a fence, furnishing imaginary scenes with choice pieces of reality while obscuring their provenance?
Verb
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Jacob Whitehead Homophobic chant mars Mexico’s win Before the World Cup, the Mexican football federation launched a campaign that featured the heroes of the country’s 1986 World Cup side.
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Starmer is leaving after two years in office marred by missteps and judgment errors that eroded his standing with his party and the public.
Verb
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Only, instead of juicy confessions of a vampire, the footage just shows Lestat staring at him, silent, for half an hour.
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The man came over to me, his face a foot away from mine, and stared into my eyes.
Verb
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With minimal humidity, near-perfect clear-sky frequency and vast empty horizons, Namibia offers the kind of slow, immersive darkness that makes dusking feel less like a trend and more like a return to something ancient.
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The park is open from daylight to dusk for visitors and 24/7 for campers.
Verb
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Critics argued the required reading list promotes Christianity over religious diversity and civil rights while blurring the constitutional separation of church and state.
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This season's collections blur the lines between swimwear and ready-to-wear, transforming swimsuits into versatile wardrobe staples that transition effortlessly from poolside afternoons to seaside dinners.
Verb
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Outside the Lineage warehouse Thursday morning, the smell of heavy smoke was already being replaced with that of spoiling food and filthy water.
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Against Australia in the last 16, Argentina were again labouring when faced with an inferior opponent, digging in and determined to spoil their World Cup dreams.
Cite this Entry
“Darken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/darken. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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