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

• frown
• stare
• gloom

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

Smoke from wildfires will travel thousands of miles to darken our skies and choke our lungs. —Madhukar Pai, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025

Also, keep in mind that aniline leather has a tendency to darken slightly over time. —Louryn Strampe, Wired News, 1 Aug. 2025

The rocket shot through a break amid darkening clouds just ahead of a lightning storm on its nine-minute trip into orbit. —Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Aug. 2025

Unlike lighter skin, which tends to show inflammation as redness, deeper skin tones often respond with darkening or scarring. —Essence, 31 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing darken

• darken someone's door/doors

Rhymes for darken

• harken
• hearken
• markan
• parkin

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