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
Taking stock of the darkening afternoon sky from the rooftop of Netflix HQ in the Flatiron District, the actress was optimistic that the weather might delay her flight and give her extra time to unwind in the city.
—
Kristen Tauer, Footwear News, 22 May 2025
Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5 goes well beyond just the darkening reality in America.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 17 May 2025
Her family of eight piled in – freshly dressed and coiffed, from her 9-month-old grandson to her 79-year-old father – for a hair-rising ride through traffic back to the darkening square.
—Caitlin Stephen Hu, CNN Money, 12 May 2025
Let this papacy be a light in darkening times and, astonishingly, a rare moment to be proud to be an American.
—Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for darken
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Kristen Tauer, Footwear News, 22 May 2025
Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5 goes well beyond just the darkening reality in America.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 17 May 2025
Her family of eight piled in – freshly dressed and coiffed, from her 9-month-old grandson to her 79-year-old father – for a hair-rising ride through traffic back to the darkening square.
—Caitlin Stephen Hu, CNN Money, 12 May 2025
Let this papacy be a light in darkening times and, astonishingly, a rare moment to be proud to be an American.
—Chicago Tribune, 11 May 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 29 May. 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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