1
as in frowns
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 obscures
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 taints
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 darkens
The radiant point of the Perseids is the constellation Perseus, which, from the Northern Hemisphere, rises in the northeast as the sky darkens during August.
—
Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Blocking the sunlight also darkens his living spaces.
—Roxana Popescu, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2025
As the sky darkens, the wind picks up, and the cries of the seagulls lessen.
—Literary Hub, 11 Aug. 2025
Blocking the sunlight also darkens his living spaces.
—Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Aug. 2025
Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Blocking the sunlight also darkens his living spaces.
—Roxana Popescu, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2025
As the sky darkens, the wind picks up, and the cries of the seagulls lessen.
—Literary Hub, 11 Aug. 2025
Blocking the sunlight also darkens his living spaces.
—Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for darkens
Verb
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Byrne has never been better, sharper, or more intimidating as a screen presence, carrying the movie with squints and frowns.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Midnight blue, a heavier shade, has been favored in recent years as the summer fades and fall approaches.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
6 Sep. 2025
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And when history is forgotten, respect for it fades.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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My outfit is indistinct, but my slight smile is obvious, even as my hand obscures half of my face.—
Amanda Uhle
August 27,
Literary Hub,
27 Aug. 2025
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This position also obscures NGC 6302’s ancient, stellar core.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Thus, Botticelli’s Jesus, who stares at the fruit in deep thought, perhaps prophesies his own death and return, as opposed to the child in the Dreyfus Madonna, who proudly shows the unity of his church to his mother.—
Demir Alp,
JSTOR Daily,
29 Aug. 2025
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What could have been a really terrifying and unsettling scene, especially as the dead-eyed sheep stares ominously back at them, becomes just another goofy moment.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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For all their evident overlap, the two marketplaces serve different crowds — even as the boundary between art and design blurs (Basic.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
4 Sep. 2025
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Alcohol blurs a person's judgment, reaction time and abilities.—
Chris Ramirez,
jsonline.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Deadly holiday weekend mars broad crime drop The back-and-forth followed a Labor Day weekend of deadly violence in Chicago worse than in the previous two years, with seven people shot to death, according to preliminary Chicago Police Department reports.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
3 Sep. 2025
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Valuing a project at cost of production rather than value in an arm’s length sale—common in all economic statistics—especially mars Chinese data.—
Bill Conerly,
Forbes.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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As war rages in Gaza, violence in the West Bank has intensified as well.—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Aug. 2025
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While the debate rages on, the funerals keep coming.—
For the Carroll County Times,
Baltimore Sun,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Farmers don’t typically grow pawpaws because the raw fruit spoils easily and is difficult to ship, according to the Kansas State University Extension Office.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
28 Aug. 2025
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This post spoils the entirety of My Life With the Walter Boys Season 2, specifically the finale.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
28 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Darkens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/darkens. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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