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
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
In the darkened foyer, Ember contemplated this unassuming bit of paper, momentarily paralyzed by a mixture of dread and excitement stirred together, an overpowering sensation that oozed from the crown of her head, down the length of her body, then hardened, like a soft golden resin becoming solid.
—
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
As scientists often find darkened teeth in ancient burials, other factors can contribute to a black appearance, notably the chewing of betel leaves.
—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Feb. 2026
Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui posted a video to X over the weekend, showing a dazzling view of auroras spreading like a tall blanket over the darkened Earth below.
—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
15 Jan. 2026
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
Katie Vogel,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2026
On a recent night in Havana, as another blackout darkened much of the city, taxi driver Leonardo Daniel González steered a friend’s glowing purple 1948 Chevrolet Fleetmaster through the darkness.
—
ABC News,
8 June 2026
As the sky darkened, the jagged ridgeline of the mountains behind us grew sharp and pronounced.
—
Megan Spurrell,
Condé Nast Traveler,
8 June 2026
Enjoying and Observing Fireflies The best firefly viewing comes after the sun has set while sitting on a darkened, screened back porch.
—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
6 June 2026
The country’s growth outlook has darkened due to the ongoing Middle East conflict, which has effectively halted oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, pushing up energy and commodities prices globally.
—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
3 June 2026
For her role as Selena Quintanilla in the 1997 film about the late singer, her arches were darkened and defined.
—
Tori Crowther,
Allure,
27 May 2026
But as soon as the Lumière Theatre darkened and the movie began to play, Driver slipped out of his seat.
—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
19 May 2026
The other is darkened by fuel scarcity and rising prices that threaten a humanitarian crisis.
—
Stephanie Yang,
CNN Money,
12 May 2026
Adjective
She’s talked up her push to convert darkened streetlights, many of them stripped of their copper wire, to solar power.
—
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
In the darkened foyer, Ember contemplated this unassuming bit of paper, momentarily paralyzed by a mixture of dread and excitement stirred together, an overpowering sensation that oozed from the crown of her head, down the length of her body, then hardened, like a soft golden resin becoming solid.
—
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
As scientists often find darkened teeth in ancient burials, other factors can contribute to a black appearance, notably the chewing of betel leaves.
—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Feb. 2026
Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui posted a video to X over the weekend, showing a dazzling view of auroras spreading like a tall blanket over the darkened Earth below.
—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
15 Jan. 2026
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
Experts warn the vast basin, fed by the murky Tidal Basin and darkened by new paint that warms the water, may never stay algae-free without more drastic measures.
—
Katie Vogel,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2026
On a recent night in Havana, as another blackout darkened much of the city, taxi driver Leonardo Daniel González steered a friend’s glowing purple 1948 Chevrolet Fleetmaster through the darkness.
—
ABC News,
8 June 2026
As the sky darkened, the jagged ridgeline of the mountains behind us grew sharp and pronounced.
—
Megan Spurrell,
Condé Nast Traveler,
8 June 2026
Enjoying and Observing Fireflies The best firefly viewing comes after the sun has set while sitting on a darkened, screened back porch.
—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
6 June 2026
The country’s growth outlook has darkened due to the ongoing Middle East conflict, which has effectively halted oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, pushing up energy and commodities prices globally.
—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
3 June 2026
For her role as Selena Quintanilla in the 1997 film about the late singer, her arches were darkened and defined.
—
Tori Crowther,
Allure,
27 May 2026
But as soon as the Lumière Theatre darkened and the movie began to play, Driver slipped out of his seat.
—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
19 May 2026
The other is darkened by fuel scarcity and rising prices that threaten a humanitarian crisis.
—
Stephanie Yang,
CNN Money,
12 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for darkened
Adjective
-
Tourism and city officials say that marketplace channels festival foot traffic directly to Black entrepreneurs and helps keep dollars circulating in local neighborhoods long after the stages go dark.
-
Jason kept the look casual in a light blue graphic T-shirt, white shorts, a baseball cap and dark sunglasses.
Verb
-
The upstairs neighbors would like to go to sleep somewhere between 9 at night and midnight, and so applause was frowned upon at the Gaslight.
-
Oftentimes, disabling security protections is frowned upon.
Verb
-
By the time the Giants jumped to a 2-0 lead in Tuesday’s second inning over West Sacramento’s A’s, the protestors had faded from the plaza.
-
Election betting was common until the 1940s, then mysteriously faded away.
Verb
-
Wernicke says that's wrong—and that the misattribution has obscured something important.
-
The documents in question include eight emails with either the sender or recipient blacked out, a draft indictment of Epstein with the names of potential co-conspirators obscured and a 2019 email that mentions several co-conspirators whose names were redacted.
Verb
-
Starmer is leaving after two years in office marred by missteps and judgment errors that eroded his standing with his party and the public.
-
What immediately followed that bright June day were dark months marred by the state’s largest criminal investigation in history coming up empty, police questioning second graders for new leads and mounting legal battles among the Horman family grappling with utter devastation.
Adjective
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The details remain murky, but the investment fund would be financed privately and not by US taxpayers, according to the administration.
-
For a predator that relies on sight and fast reaction distances in shallow water, murky conditions can alter the entire hunting landscape and prey may become harder to detect.
Verb
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Greenberg tried his best to ignore an irritating ankle injury that had plagued him the last couple of weeks and grimaced under the hazy sunlight as the pitcher, probably 20 or more years his junior, stared him down.
-
In La Guaira, Cristian Carreño stared at his charred apartment building tilting precariously to one side.
Verb
-
The Iron fire in Utah’s Juab County was first detected Saturday and had blackened 34 square miles, authorities said.
-
The Iron Fire in Utah’s Juab County was first detected Saturday and had blackened 34 square miles (87 square kilometers), authorities said.
Cite this Entry
“Darkened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/darkened. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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