darkened; darkening
ˈdär-kə-niŋ 
1
: to grow dark : become obscured
the skies were darkening
2
: to become gloomy
his mood darkened
1
: to make dark
2
: to make less clear : obscure
the financial crisis darkened the future of the company
4
: to cast a gloom over
5
: to make of darker color
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
Elsewhere, an unexpected power shift darkens the brotherhood bond between Phil (Adrian Holmes) and Geoffrey (Jimmy Akingbola), whose loyalties to the Banks family are tested.
—
Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 3 Nov. 2025
The dishwasher often darkens and discolors aluminum cookware.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 30 Oct. 2025
Place wings, skin side down, on unlit side of grill; cover and grill, undisturbed, until darkened in color and cooked through, about 20 minutes.
—Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
Political action committees have circulated push polls falsely suggesting Mamdani intends to make halal mandatory, and attack ads have darkened and elongated his beard to evoke the visual coding of menace.
—Faisal Kutty, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for darken
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Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 3 Nov. 2025
The dishwasher often darkens and discolors aluminum cookware.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 30 Oct. 2025
Place wings, skin side down, on unlit side of grill; cover and grill, undisturbed, until darkened in color and cooked through, about 20 minutes.
—Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
Political action committees have circulated push polls falsely suggesting Mamdani intends to make halal mandatory, and attack ads have darkened and elongated his beard to evoke the visual coding of menace.
—Faisal Kutty, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for darken
Cite this Entry
“Darken.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/darken. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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