Synonyms of darkened

darkened 1 of 2

adjective

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

• dark
• murky
• black
• dimmed
• obscured
• dim
• dusky
• lightless
• unlit
• dusk
• somber
• gloomy
• darkling
• obscure
• darkish
• pitch-black
• pitch-dark
• stygian
• darksome
• tenebrous
• pitchy
• caliginous
• rayless
• twilit
• dulled
• gray
• crepuscular
• tenebrific
• starless
• moonless
• misty
• shadowy
• clouded
• lackluster
• pale
• shady
• cloudy
• dull
• foggy
• leaden
• sunless
• smoggy
• fuliginous
• befogged
• shadowlike
• beclouded
• soupy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• light
• illuminated
• bright
• luminous
• lit
• shining
• brilliant
• illumined
• brightened
• sparkling
• radiant
• lucent
• lucid
• incandescent
• glaring
• resplendent
• lightsome
• glowing
• alight
• effulgent
• lambent
• beaming
• beamy
• shiny
• glossy
• lustrous
• aglitter
• highlighted
• agleam
• sunlit
• moonlit
• ablaze
• relucent
• ultrabright
• spotlighted
• moony
• starlit
• floodlit

darkened

2 of 2

verb

past tense of darken

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

• frowned
• stared
• lowered
• glared
• scowled
• glowered
• raged
• gloomed
• brooded
• angered
• pouted
• steamed
• threatened
• sulked
• stormed
• bristled
• petted
• intimidated
• menaced
• fumed
• moped

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• brightened
• lightened
• cheered (up)
• perked (up)

2

as in faded

to grow dark

the sky darkened as a storm moved in

Synonyms & Similar Words

• faded
• blackened
• dimmed
• closed in
• dusked
• blacked out
• waned
• gloomed
• lowered

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• lit
• brightened
• lightened
• dawned
• shone
• glowed
• radiated
• beamed

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

• obscured
• blurred
• blackened
• clouded
• dimmed
• overshadowed
• shadowed
• shrouded
• fogged
• misted
• overcast
• beclouded
• hazed
• shaded
• concealed
• bleared
• overclouded
• bedimmed
• hid
• covered
• obliterated
• dislimned
• eclipsed
• fuzzed (up)
• befogged
• masked
• adumbrated
• curtained
• blotted out
• camouflaged
• screened
• cloaked
• veiled
• disguised

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• brightened
• illuminated
• lit (up)
• exposed
• lightened
• revealed
• illumined
• uncovered
• unveiled

4

as in marred

to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable

the scandal darkened his otherwise sterling reputation

Synonyms & Similar Words

• marred
• tainted
• stained
• poisoned
• spoiled
• touched
• tarnished
• blackened
• distorted
• degraded
• lowered
• vitiated
• smeared
• discredited
• blurred
• blemished
• corrupted
• polluted
• clouded
• discolored
• smudged
• sullied
• soiled
• disgraced
• perverted
• tarred
• shamed
• dirtied
• begrimed
• colored
• dishonored
• sank
• debased
• besmirched
• besmeared
• twisted
• smutted
• subverted
• debauched
• smirched
• demeaned
• depraved
• cheapened
• demoralized
• fouled
• abased
• bastardized

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• purified
• cleansed
• elevated
• magnified
• uplifted
• dignified
• enshrined
• glorified
• hallowed
• ennobled

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of darkened

Adjective

Around them stand darkened houses, and uncollected trash piles up on the street. — Will Freeman, Foreign Affairs, 17 Sep. 2026

This trend has been pretty pervasive among designer bags recently, with shoppers buying new Prada and Chanel bags with darkened leather to give them a used look, or sourcing vintage Celine bags with obvious signs of wear. — Irene Richardson, InStyle, 2 July 2026

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

Cook, stirring often, until butter browns and nuts have slightly darkened, 6–8 minutes. — Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appetit Magazine, 2 Nov. 2026

With all the scoring, the skies darkened to the point where the teams couldn’t continue. — Mike McGraw, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026

That sense of hospitality is even more pronounced on the second floor, with its vintage furniture and darkly luxurious decor of green stone, darkened zebrano, walnut and waxed bronzite, and velvet curtains. — Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 30 Oct. 2026

As larger, necessary conversations regarding race, genre, music and industry categorization subsumed her Blue Island press run, the album’s softer, relatively disappointing commercial returns further darkened the energy around the release. — Kyle Denis, Billboard, 21 Oct. 2026

His chubby forehead was creased, and a sort of hunted look darkened his eyes. — Gerald R. Hunter, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026

In its latest incarnation, designed by the firm S9, the curtain wall has darkened and the electronic billboards brightened, so that the tower resembles a TV mount, more apparatus than architecture. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 1 Oct. 2026

Verity is immobile and catatonic, and Lowen learns that the family’s life is also darkened by a child’s accidental death. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2026

Fellow activists accused her of having darkened her skin using makeup and fake tanner and adopting a Black American accent after returning from a stint in the Peace Corps in Rwanda. — Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 28 Sep. 2026