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
Add this set of room-darkening curtains to block light for a darker bedroom at night, or grab this fleece blanket to snuggle up with and add texture to a room.
—
Shea Simmons, Southern Living, 26 Dec. 2025
Several days later, the team encountered another complication, as venous reflux, a blood return obstruction, caused the ear to darken, jeopardizing tissue survival.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 26 Dec. 2025
As the skies darkened ahead of Christmas Eve, volunteers shifted and set up for the annual community brunch hosted on Anaheim’s West Center Street Promenade in a nearby parking structure instead.
—Heather McRea, Oc Register, 24 Dec. 2025
In the afternoon, the sky above the amphitheatre darkened.
—Alex Abramovich, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for darken
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Shea Simmons, Southern Living, 26 Dec. 2025
Several days later, the team encountered another complication, as venous reflux, a blood return obstruction, caused the ear to darken, jeopardizing tissue survival.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 26 Dec. 2025
As the skies darkened ahead of Christmas Eve, volunteers shifted and set up for the annual community brunch hosted on Anaheim’s West Center Street Promenade in a nearby parking structure instead.
—Heather McRea, Oc Register, 24 Dec. 2025
In the afternoon, the sky above the amphitheatre darkened.
—Alex Abramovich, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 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 Dec. 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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