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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of darkens
When that last stellar ember cools and darkens, the age of black holes will still be in its early days.
—
Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 24 Sep. 2025
Yet this uncertainty comes as the global outlook darkens — both in economic and geopolitical terms.
—William Pesek, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 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
Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 24 Sep. 2025
Yet this uncertainty comes as the global outlook darkens — both in economic and geopolitical terms.
—William Pesek, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 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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Not explained is whether Makary would be happier if drug companies placed ads with immobile patients, frowns, and funereal music.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
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Ken’yaku, a commitment to frugality, is detectable in a corporate culture that frowns on perks or frills.—
Lauren Collins,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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As anger fades into apathy and grief is aggravated by guilt, the public also chooses silence.—
Yangyang Cheng,
NPR,
4 Oct. 2025
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With Ka-young’s help, Iblis is able to destroy the Flower of Eternal Life, which had allowed Khalid to live forever (at least until this point), and the villain fades to dust.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Especially for a complex negotiation surrounding a shutdown, what’s technically true is often presented in a way that obscures the full picture.—
Kate Plummer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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The treacle, in any case, obscures noble intentions.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But establishing your lead funnyman as someone who just shuts up and stares blankly ahead isn’t a recipe for sustainable comedy.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
29 Sep. 2025
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When Mahomes stares into the secondary, he’s greeted with congestion.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The initiative highlights how the war in Ukraine blurs the line between civilian tech and military hardware, as armies seek to field cost-effective solutions of industrial strain and battlefield urgency.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Oct. 2025
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The result is a bittersweet dramedy about rejection, resilience and legacy that blurs fiction and reality.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
1 Oct. 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 on the Western Front, the Choral Society in Ramsden, Yorkshire has lost most of its men to the army.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
30 Sep. 2025
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As war rages on the Western Front, the Choral Society in Ramsden, Yorkshire has lost most of its men to the army.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Nothing spoils a Sunday afternoon outside with the family quite like your youngest child being carried off by a horde of maladjusted howler monkeys.—
Paul Cappiello,
Louisville Courier Journal,
24 Sep. 2025
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Pre-cut produce also spoils quicker and could pick up pathogens when sliced open.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Darkens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/darkens. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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