darken

play

verb dark·en \ ˈdär-kən \

Definition of darken

darkened; darkening play \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

play \-kə-nər\ noun

See darken defined for English-language learners

See darken defined for kids

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 of darken from the Web

As schools open across the state this week, financial uncertainty is darkening the start of the year, adding to administrators' usual list of worries.

— jesse leavenworth, courant.com, "Connecticut Budget Impasse Looms Over First Day Of School," 27 Aug. 2017
A week that begins with a total solar eclipse darkening skies coast to coast will end with investors hoping for fewer shadows from the Federal Reserve.

— by tom hudson, miamiherald, "Throwing shade on the Fed’s interest rate path," 18 Aug. 2017
California will not experience a total eclipse Monday but the state has so much solar power online that generation from rooftop systems and solar power plants will take a sharp dip when the sky darkens Monday morning.

— rob nikolewski, sandiegouniontribune.com, "SDG&E says it's equipped for the eclipse," 17 Aug. 2017
August 21 The skies will darken from noon to 3 p.m. during the solar eclipse.

— kitty conley, Post-Tribune, "Kitty Conley's Scratching Post," 14 Aug. 2017
The curbs on everything from lead and fish exports to shady North Korean companies coincide with a deadly drought that’s ruining crops, darkening an already dire humanitarian picture.

— enda curran, Bloomberg.com, "Without Oil, North Korea Sanctions Won't Stop Kim," 13 Aug. 2017
During totality, the sky darkens enough for the brighter stars to appear.

— tyler nordgren, Discover Magazine, "Eclipse 2017: Darkness Is Coming," 7 Aug. 2017
Even still, Transitions lenses–the photoreactive technology that darkens your eyeglass lenses in sunlight–still carry the stigma of being strictly for the elderly and deeply unhip.

— miles raymer, Esquire, "Can Transitions Lenses Ever Be Cool?," 25 July 2017
The appointment was seen within Trumpworld as a big win for Trump, who has been itching for a bolder, more bare-knuckled approach to combatting the Russia scandal darkening his administration.

— bess levin, The Hive, "The Mooch’s “Mega Opportunity Cost” Could Make Him $80 Million Richer," 24 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'darken.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of darken

14th century

darken Synonyms

Synonyms

gloom, glower, lower (also lour)

Antonyms

brighten, cheer (up), lighten, perk (up)

Related Words

frown, scowl; glare, stare; brood, mope, pet, pout, sulk; anger, bristle, fume, rage, steam, storm; intimidate, menace, threaten

Near Antonyms

dawn; beam, glow, radiate, shine

DARKEN Defined for English Language Learners

darken

play

verb

Definition of darken for English Language Learners

: to make (something) dark or to become dark or darker in color
: to make (something) less happy or to become less happy

DARKEN Defined for Kids

darken

play

verb dark·en \ ˈdär-kən \

Definition of darken for Students

darkened; darkening

1 :to make or grow dark or darker

… in three months the long Arctic night that lasted for sixty-six days would darken the top of the world.
—Jean Craighead George, Julie of the Wolves

2 :to make or become gloomy