as in dark
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer
a darkening sky that seemed to match our downcast spirits
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in frowning
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
as in fading
to grow dark
the sky darkened as a storm moved in
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in obscuring
to make dark, dim, or indistinct
years of accumulated grime have darkened the painting until it can barely be seen
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4
as in marring
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 darkening
Anthony Wood, Space.com, 3 Mar. 2026
Smoke from the fire could be seen from miles away, darkening the sky.
—CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
Hope is a dimming ember lighting our ever-darkening path.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 11 Feb. 2026
Simon also said that darkening retail doors can be filled by growing businesses as Life Time health clubs, House of Sports, which is a relatively new concept from Dick’s Sporting Goods, and space can be repurposed to mixed uses, including outdoor uses.
—David Moin, Footwear News, 3 Feb. 2026
Use room-darkening shades and blackout curtains to prevent light from seeping in to interrupt your shut-eye.
—Kylie Petty, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Jan. 2026
Add this set of room-darkening curtains to block light for a darker bedroom at night, or grab this fleece blanket to snuggle up with and add texture to a room.
—Shea Simmons, Southern Living, 26 Dec. 2025
Alternating between onion and potatoes when grating helps keep the potatoes from darkening.
—Joan Nathan, Saveur, 4 Dec. 2025
There were other signs that the labor picture is darkening heading into 2026.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 2 Dec. 2025
Verb
The image was captured shortly after Earth's curved inner shadow began its slow journey across the lunar disk, darkening the lunar seas sprawling across the western portion of its surface.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 3 Mar. 2026
Smoke from the fire could be seen from miles away, darkening the sky.
—CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
Hope is a dimming ember lighting our ever-darkening path.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 11 Feb. 2026
Simon also said that darkening retail doors can be filled by growing businesses as Life Time health clubs, House of Sports, which is a relatively new concept from Dick’s Sporting Goods, and space can be repurposed to mixed uses, including outdoor uses.
—David Moin, Footwear News, 3 Feb. 2026
Use room-darkening shades and blackout curtains to prevent light from seeping in to interrupt your shut-eye.
—Kylie Petty, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Jan. 2026
Add this set of room-darkening curtains to block light for a darker bedroom at night, or grab this fleece blanket to snuggle up with and add texture to a room.
—Shea Simmons, Southern Living, 26 Dec. 2025
Alternating between onion and potatoes when grating helps keep the potatoes from darkening.
—Joan Nathan, Saveur, 4 Dec. 2025
There were other signs that the labor picture is darkening heading into 2026.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 2 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for darkening
Adjective
-
Police released an image captured from a surveillance video showing a person wearing dark clothes and a backpack, with their face covered.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Mar. 2026
-
But the late-Baroque facade of the building conceals a special, darker history, one that reflects persistent political and legal problems for the bank thousands of miles away, in the US.—
Hugo Miller,
Bloomberg,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The men stood frowning at each other and then back at Adi until the one without the gun broke into croaks of laughter.—
Jonathan Miles,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Smiling can actually lift your mood, while frowning can lower it.—
Valerie Monroe,
Allure,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The clubs, civic organizations and community events that once brought our forefathers together are largely fading away.—
Judith Martin,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Produced by Edko Films and directed by Jack Ng, the film is set in 2012 at a fading hostess nightclub in Tsim Sha Tsui East.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Other officers then deployed at least three tear gas canisters seconds later, obscuring the entire scene in a cloud of chemicals.—
Bob Ortega,
CNN Money,
10 Mar. 2026
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This feature can also be applied on an app-by-app basis and/or just to notifications, obscuring part of the screen.—
Iyaz Akhtar,
PC Magazine,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The demoralizing graffiti marring the main entrance to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 360 Lenox Ave.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
12 Feb. 2026
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Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate, along with Detroit’s Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren, were ejected for fighting, marring what was an intriguing game between the top team in the Eastern Conference and the one featuring the NBA’s longest current win streak.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
For two teens unable to use their legs, the future was especially bleak.—
Nicole Acevedo,
NBC news,
7 Mar. 2026
-
So what’s to be done when things look bleak?—
Ryan Ermey,
CNBC,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Saxon sat at the plaintiff’s table, staring at a screen with no expression.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
6 Mar. 2026
-
After eight hours at work, staring at spreadsheets and sitting through meetings that should've been emails, my brain needs a complete reset.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
And Hanceville’s fate is as murky as the fog that pours in at night, blotting out buildings and blackening the road ahead.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
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These tungsten atoms would then condense on the slightly cooler inside of the glass bulb, blackening it and dimming the light over time.—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza,
Scientific American,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Darkening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/darkening. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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