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
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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
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
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
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
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
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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
-
Liverpool kept winning and the issue faded from public view.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
14 Jan. 2026
-
After nearly 80 years, hope for answers to the infamous 1947 Black Dahlia murder had faded into nothingness.—
Peter Larsen,
Oc Register,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In addition to pain, light sensitivity and obscured vision, acanthamoeba keratitis can also cause redness, dryness, excessive tears and a sensation of a foreign body in the eye.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
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The video showed a hooded figure with their face obscured, walking calmly in a snowy alleyway near the couple's home around the timeframe authorities estimated the Tepes were killed, police said in an update.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Ugandan authorities implemented an internet blackout ahead of the 2021 election, which was marred by pre-election violence and rights abuses, according to observers.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
14 Jan. 2026
-
The process has been marred by complaints about its slow pace and by concerns over the physical condition of some of those freed after years in detention.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The reality is likely somewhere in the gray, murky middle.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
15 Jan. 2026
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That much is clear, but even the obvious can get murky amid an 82-game season.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The horses in the fear group touched the novel object less often and stared at it from a distance more than their peers did.—
Marta Hill,
Scientific American,
14 Jan. 2026
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Freeman stared at the video screen with his mouth open.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Now, the Beth Israel synagogue is indefinitely closed, its historic interiors blackened with ash, after authorities say a man set a fire in the building’s library in the early hours of Saturday morning.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
13 Jan. 2026
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In all, more than 8,000 California wildfires blackened 525,223 acres, killed 31 people and burned 16,512 structures in the past year, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Darkened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/darkened. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.
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