darken

verb

ˈdär-kən How to pronounce darken (audio)
Definition of darkennext
1
as in to frown
to take on a gloomy or forbidding look his face slowly darkened as we told him the sad news

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2
as in to fade
to grow dark the sky darkened as a storm moved in

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3
as in to obscure
to make dark, dim, or indistinct years of accumulated grime have darkened the painting until it can barely be seen

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4
as in to mar
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable the scandal darkened his otherwise sterling reputation

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of darken During a total eclipse, the moon completely covers the face of the sun, darkening the sky and revealing just the sun’s outer atmosphere called the corona. — Devika Rao, TheWeek, 12 Aug. 2026 Instead of darkening the sky and unveiling the sun's signature circular ring, this time around the moon will only partly cover the sun, giving it a crescent shape, according to NASA. — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026 In locations where the eclipse will occur around sunset, people may see Perseid meteors during totality, the minutes when the moon fully blocks the sun’s light, leaving a fiery ring and temporarily darkening the skies. — Denise Chow, NBC news, 11 Aug. 2026 During totality, the sky darkens significantly, temperatures drop and bright stars and planets can even become visible. — Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 10 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for darken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for darken
  1. frown
  2. fade
  3. obscure
  4. mar
  5. stare
  6. dusk
  7. blur
  8. spoil
Verb
  • Puni is entrenched at right guard for his third season, and Foerster has frowned on the idea of shifting him to the vacant left-guard spot.
    — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 20 July 2026
  • The maid remained at the door while Helen took a seat on the sofa, and Sonya frowned.
    — Min Jin Lee, New Yorker, 19 July 2026
Definition of frown
Verb
  • Similar bouts of traders closing short positions in early June and early July initially pushed prices higher before the gains eventually faded.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Isabelle Huppert and Virginie Efira led Farhadi’s French-language Parallel Tales, a film about Sylvie (Huppert), a fading novelist in search of inspiration for her next book, who starts spying on her neighbors across the street.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of fade
Verb
  • In the years since Shakur’s murder, what exactly happened in that hail of bullets -- and who pulled the trigger -- was obscured by a lack of physical evidence, feuding cops and the gangland code of silence.
    — Sasha Pezenik, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Once there, Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf watch as the butterfly approaches the outstretched hand of a woman whose face is obscured, before the ominous presence crushes it in her hands.
    — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of obscure
Verb
  • The firm, backed by SoftBank and Goldman Sachs, was marred by employees who pointed to Garg’s reputation for being a brash leader.
    — Ty Roush, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Some cautioned that a prolonged war, especially one marred by a steady stream of American casualties and little visible progress, could eventually weigh on recruiting at the margins.
    — Steven Beynon, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of mar
Verb
  • As prosecutors played audio of Davis explaining the moment Shakur was shot, members of Shakur's family, including his stepbrother Maurice Shakur, stared ahead and listened intently from the audience.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Some edits of the clip show the character in black-and-white, staring at the camera, emulating a horror movie scene.
    — Owen Carry, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of stare
Verb
  • With minimal humidity, near-perfect clear-sky frequency and vast empty horizons, Namibia offers the kind of slow, immersive darkness that makes dusking feel less like a trend and more like a return to something ancient.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026
  • The park is open from daylight to dusk for visitors and 24/7 for campers.
    — Isa Almeida, Oklahoman, 15 Jan. 2026
Definition of dusk
Verb
  • Combining archival and original footage, and blurring the categories of documentary essay and the poetic avant-garde, Pelechian’s visionary works revolve around a grand recurring theme of humankind’s tumultuous relationship to the natural world.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 18 Aug. 2026
  • But this summer, the lines between business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) marketing became increasingly blurred.
    — Taylor Cheek-Mundy, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of blur
Verb
  • The Yankees, meanwhile, didn’t score again after Grisham’s homer, continuing an extended stretch that has seen the Bombers’ lifeless lineup repeatedly spoil stellar starting pitching.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Lake Nona turns the ball over on downs after a bad snap spoiled what looked like a promising drive.
    — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of spoil

Browse Nearby Words

dark ages
darken
darkened
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Cite this Entry

“Darken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/darken. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of darken for Spanish Speakers

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