1
as in to frown
to take on a gloomy or forbidding look
his face slowly darkened as we told him the sad news
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to mar
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
the scandal darkened his otherwise sterling reputation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
Farther up, on Observatory Hill, tall cryptomeria trees were silhouetted in the darkening evening, and down in the valleys, lights winked on like reflections of the planets and stars appearing in the sky.
—Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Add garlic, tomato paste, and anchovies and cook, stirring constantly, until tomato paste is slightly darkened, about 2 minutes.
—Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 27 Oct. 2025
Ovechkin turned 40 in September — there was no Gretzky chase to darken that party.
—Sean Gentille, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for darken
Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
Farther up, on Observatory Hill, tall cryptomeria trees were silhouetted in the darkening evening, and down in the valleys, lights winked on like reflections of the planets and stars appearing in the sky.
—Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Add garlic, tomato paste, and anchovies and cook, stirring constantly, until tomato paste is slightly darkened, about 2 minutes.
—Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 27 Oct. 2025
Ovechkin turned 40 in September — there was no Gretzky chase to darken that party.
—Sean Gentille, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for darken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for darken
Verb
-
The candidate Grant had frowned upon before dove right in with his sales pitch.—
Sarah Jackson,
CNBC,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Anti-Semitism persisted, religion was frowned upon by the communist government and Jews were often persecuted.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
For one night, under cold rain and flickering red lights, the noise faded.—
Ira Gorawara,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Once summer flowers fade and growth stops, start cleaning up the garden.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
While Beijing uses code names to obscure some of their military projects, CNN’s research revealed – and then pinpointed – the sites.—
Tamara Qiblawi,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Shiri’s face was obscured by an image originally created by Vancouver street artist iHeart.—
Gabriele Regalbuto,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
This dynamic marred the 2012-13 Hurricane Sandy package and has recurred in other disaster bills, not because relief is illegitimate but because speed plus political cover invites provisions that would die in regular order.—
Veronique De Rugy,
Oc Register,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Sook’s comments followed Nexstar’s report of quarterly results, which were marred by the absence of political advertising compared with the same quarter in 2024.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
As the boat sails away, the Creature quietly stares into the sunrise with a smile on his face.—
Yasmeen Hamadeh,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The video teaser Chrli shared features eerie, horror film–like sound effects and the haunting sound of violins as Charli is pinned down by an elderly hand while staring directly into the camera.—
Tomás Mier,
Rolling Stone,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Its hours are from dawn to dusk every day of the year.—
Cathy Kozlowicz,
jsonline.com,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Much of the film’s drama then ensues inside Teddy and Don’s basement like a pseudo chamber piece as captor and captive face off in a battle of wits, logic and strange faith that blurs the lines between divisive politics, conspiracy and cosmic truth.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Nov. 2025
-
What starts as a cathartic process spirals out-of-control, as the line between justice and madness blurs.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Pluribus crackles with terrific comic tension as Carol wakes up next to her dead partner, filled with grief yet spoiling for a fight.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Without spoiling too much, the two-minute clip finds Carol weathering ample concern for her less-than-cheery demeanor.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Darken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/darken. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share