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
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Recent Examples of darkened
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
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Mar. 2026
The atmosphere had darkened, as larger and larger percentages of students were suffering from depression and anxiety.
—CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026
Walls appear charred and darkened, with visible structural damage.
—Jasmine Baehr , Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 19 Mar. 2026
But as the director returns to Capitol Hill Tuesday to appear before the House Committee on Appropriations, that outlook has darkened.
—Anil Oza, STAT, 17 Mar. 2026
Pushing harder would have darkened the story, but been slightly more believable.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 13 Mar. 2026
The city largely shut down as residents and tourists ran for cover and plumes of smoke from fires darkened the Pacific vista.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026
More importantly, the romance of the blockade seems to have darkened the German public’s opinion of the coal industry, hastening the nation’s green transition.
—Robert Moor, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
During this event, the entire moon passes through the Earth's umbra (the darkest part of its shadow), causing the moon to appear darkened or reddened.
—Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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
The room can quickly be darkened, however, with the flick of a curtain switch.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Mar. 2026
The atmosphere had darkened, as larger and larger percentages of students were suffering from depression and anxiety.
—CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026
Walls appear charred and darkened, with visible structural damage.
—Jasmine Baehr , Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 19 Mar. 2026
But as the director returns to Capitol Hill Tuesday to appear before the House Committee on Appropriations, that outlook has darkened.
—Anil Oza, STAT, 17 Mar. 2026
Pushing harder would have darkened the story, but been slightly more believable.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 13 Mar. 2026
The city largely shut down as residents and tourists ran for cover and plumes of smoke from fires darkened the Pacific vista.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026
More importantly, the romance of the blockade seems to have darkened the German public’s opinion of the coal industry, hastening the nation’s green transition.
—Robert Moor, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
During this event, the entire moon passes through the Earth's umbra (the darkest part of its shadow), causing the moon to appear darkened or reddened.
—Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 26 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for darkened
Adjective
-
That’s why our testers—spanning a wide range of skin types, ages, and skin concerns—have spent months determining which products actually deliver on their fine-line-smoothing and dark-circle-erasing promises.—
Grace McCarty,
Glamour,
18 Mar. 2026
-
The suspect has a dark complexion and was last seen wearing a black T-shirt and blue pants, cops said.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Design-wise, the iX3 is a departure from the large-grille era, which was widely frowned upon by enthusiasts.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
13 Mar. 2026
-
But Vaught complicates the idea that male weeping was universally frowned upon back then.—
Jeanette Tran,
The Conversation,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
What if a slightly delusional but still charming actress faded toward irrelevance, only to claw her way back by way of a reality TV show?—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Mar. 2026
-
As crypto moved from fringe to mainstream to cultural punch line, its promise of revolution faded.—
Clara Molot,
Vanity Fair,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The bill of his ball cap obscured his gaze.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Instead, first-time director Fergus Campbell drops us directly into Cleo’s world — no parents, no rules and every authority figure is obscured, like the unintelligible adults in Peanuts cartoons.—
Jourdain Searles,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Jimmy Carter Carter's presidency was marred by domestic and foreign-policy challenges.—
Domenico Montanaro,
NPR,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Asmahan Taleb, who's also displaced in Sidon, said the run-up to Eid has been marred by hardship.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Well, this is where things get murky.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Jonathan Cute kept probing the murky realms between tourism and treachery.—
Adam Ciralsky,
Vanity Fair,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
As Venezuelans ran onto the infield to celebrate, the dismayed Americans stared while leaning on their dugout railing.—
Ronald Blum,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Venezuelans ran onto the infield to celebrate as the Americans stared while leaning on their dugout railing.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Israeli strikes on oil facilities sparked massive pillars of fire and blackened the skies above Tehran.—
NPR Staff,
NPR,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Once a sky-blue democracy is restored, may Trump’s days of infamy be ruled illegitimate and his name and legacy duly tainted by all of history, darkly blackened or cautiously reddened in the honest records that this twerp and his twisted cohorts have conspired so heinously to whitewash.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Darkened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/darkened. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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