as in dark
being without light or without much light
wanting to surprise her, we waited in the darkened room for her to get home before calling out "happy birthday"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in frowned
to take on a gloomy or forbidding look
his face slowly darkened as we told him the sad news
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in obscured
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 marred
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
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Recent Examples of darkened
Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Over the weekend, around 16,000 people paid their respects to the designer at his funeral chamber at the Armani Teatro designed by Tadao Ando, filled with white flowers and paper lanterns on the floor in a diagonal grid formation dimly lit up the darkened venue.
—Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2025
Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 29 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
The outage darkened large parts of the city’s north side, starting in the Richmond and Presidio neighborhoods and areas around Golden Gate Park early in the afternoon before spreading further.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 21 Dec. 2025
Power has been restored to the homes and businesses of most utility customers impacted by a massive outage in San Francisco that darkened the city on Saturday.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 21 Dec. 2025
By 12, his complexion had darkened.
—Deborah Wilker, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025
As these storms darkened the prairies, farmers and laborers alike sought refuge.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 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
Adjective
By becoming the light in a darkened world, everyone becomes a firefly that helps to illuminate the way back home to each other.
—Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Over the weekend, around 16,000 people paid their respects to the designer at his funeral chamber at the Armani Teatro designed by Tadao Ando, filled with white flowers and paper lanterns on the floor in a diagonal grid formation dimly lit up the darkened venue.
—Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
Adams has spent his final months in office globetrotting and shoring up his legacy, touting his accomplishments during a stormy tenure as mayor darkened by corruption charges in late 2024.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 29 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
The outage darkened large parts of the city’s north side, starting in the Richmond and Presidio neighborhoods and areas around Golden Gate Park early in the afternoon before spreading further.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 21 Dec. 2025
Power has been restored to the homes and businesses of most utility customers impacted by a massive outage in San Francisco that darkened the city on Saturday.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 21 Dec. 2025
By 12, his complexion had darkened.
—Deborah Wilker, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025
As these storms darkened the prairies, farmers and laborers alike sought refuge.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for darkened
Adjective
-
Don't feel afraid to play with bold (but dark) colors and various materials.—
Ashlyn Needham,
The Spruce,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Open my soul to the vast dark places.—
Gwen Faulkenberry,
Arkansas Online,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Good to know that kidnapping is still generally frowned upon by the French government.—
Elie Mystal,
Washington Post,
7 Jan. 2026
-
My mother has never sought attention, and self-promotion is largely frowned upon in our family.—
Peter Kiefer,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Once the flowers have faded, trim the stalks 1 to 2 inches above the bulb, retaining the green foliage.—
Cameron Beall,
Southern Living,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The Lakers faded down the stretch to 27 points from the Spurs’ Keldon Johnson and 16 points and 14 rebounds by Victor Wembanyama.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Compare that with bigger names like Rolex or Patek Philippe, where the payoff for spending more is deliberately obscured.—
The Editors,
Robb Report,
8 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
Adjective
-
Velardo’s whereabouts were murky when he was charged in the two investigations in March, 2013.—
Karen Wang,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
-
But when the two leading figures behind the coup – RSF chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, and Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, in charge of the SAF – began fighting each other, the foreign powers had to choose whom to support – and their involvement became even murkier.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
After the photo opportunity, the girls stared at Minnie with Bennett taking a particular interest in the Disney character’s glam look.—
Rachel McRady,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025
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Perhaps this is the first time the group stared into the rearview mirror to think about something akin to a greatest hits set.—
Daniel Dylan Wray,
Pitchfork,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The footage from drone cameras shows a large area of industrial Louisville charred and blackened from smoke and fire damage.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Skip any skins that look moldy, blackened, or spoiled.—
Cathy Cassata,
Health,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Darkened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/darkened. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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