1
as in to frown
to take on a gloomy or forbidding look
his face slowly darkened as we told him the sad news
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in to obscure
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 to mar
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
the scandal darkened his otherwise sterling reputation
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of darken
Beside her, rookie Sarah Ashlee Barker sat stone-faced, a fresh shiner darkening the area beneath her right eye.
—
Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2025
Scientists had expected that radiation from the magnetic field of Uranus would darken the trailing hemispheres of its moons, but an analysis of the surfaces of Uranus’ four major moons — Ariel, Umbriel, Titania and Oberon — found the opposite.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025
While the Village itself skirted much physical damage, its storefronts have stood empty for weeks upon weeks, their windows darkened.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 29 May 2025
The arc of the subject’s life is evoked through steadily darkening, tightening mood, with certain scenes and setups replicated to variously despairing effect, from tacitly shifting points of view.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for darken
Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2025
Scientists had expected that radiation from the magnetic field of Uranus would darken the trailing hemispheres of its moons, but an analysis of the surfaces of Uranus’ four major moons — Ariel, Umbriel, Titania and Oberon — found the opposite.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025
While the Village itself skirted much physical damage, its storefronts have stood empty for weeks upon weeks, their windows darkened.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 29 May 2025
The arc of the subject’s life is evoked through steadily darkening, tightening mood, with certain scenes and setups replicated to variously despairing effect, from tacitly shifting points of view.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for darken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for darken
Verb
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And, in most instances, these days the desperate clamor to sole star-shining is often frowned upon and decidedly outdated.—
Paige Francis,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
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But a lot of people frown on this behavior, viewing it as cutting in line.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
8 July 2025
Verb
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Sunscreen, chlorine, saltwater, and even rough drying habits can wear down the fabric, leaving colors faded and suits stretched out.—
Gabi De la Rosa,
Southern Living,
5 July 2025
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The spark seemed to fade, then the extra effort went AWOL.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
4 July 2025
Verb
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But this fake overlay simply obscures the app as it is being attacked in the background.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
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Some staffers also have seen the whole affair as obscuring standout work in the news division, particularly in the early months of the Trump administration.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
2 July 2025
Verb
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The last weekend of June in Indianapolis was marred by a rash of shootings that left seven dead and nine others injured.—
Noe Padilla,
IndyStar,
30 June 2025
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The Mets go the way of Francisco Lindor, and he’s been marred in his own slump this month.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
30 June 2025
Verb
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The proud dad shared an adorable new photo with their little one on Instagram Wednesday, July 3 On Wednesday, July 2, Irwin's husband, Chandler Powell, 28, shared an adorable Instagram photo of Grace Warrior Irwin Powell staring in amazement at a rainbow.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
People.com,
4 July 2025
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On the left, 23-month-old Riot Rose sucks on a pacifier and stares apathetically at his mom before hiding behind the shade canopy of his carseat, seemingly having pulled it over himself to avoid his mom’s camera lens.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
3 July 2025
Verb
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The site was visibly blackened by the degree of rubble thrown up by the strikes.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
23 June 2025
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Broil the bell pepper for 4 to 6 minutes, until the skin starts to blacken.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
9 May 2025
Verb
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Kurt’s key takeaways Meta’s decision to turn chatbot prompts into social content has blurred the line between private and public in a way that catches many users off guard.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
1 July 2025
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As tokenized investing becomes a tangible reality for millions, the lines between centralized brokerages and decentralized protocols are blurring—setting a high bar for the next generation of financial platforms.—
Sandy Carter,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
Verb
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Dodge won't spoil the surprise by confirming if the last one will be based on the Charger or the Challenger (or maybe both), but the evidence suggests the latter is more likely.—
Jack Fitzgerald,
Car and Driver,
13 Feb. 2023
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Farmers’ broiler chickens suffocate, and dairy products spoil.—
Monica Mark,
The Christian Science Monitor,
10 Feb. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Darken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/darken. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
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