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
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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As the afterglow of the midyear continental tournaments fades back into seasonal play in global women’s soccer, there’s been a trend of superlative record-breaking, from the youngest professional goal scorers to the most lucrative transfer fees.—
Tamerra Griffin,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
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If an online trend fades or followers are lost, the name tends to lose steam as well.—
Sarah Scott,
Parents,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The delicate curtain slightly obscures a digital color photograph of a drawing by a museum employee reimagining Picasso’s painting.—
Natasha Gural,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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Relatively high coverage at the national and state levels obscures the fact that in some local areas, vaccine coverage is low due to high numbers of exemptions, putting clusters of children at greater risk of disease.—
Simon Williams,
Time,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In the picture, Duggar holds her son, who wears a gray onesie and stares into the camera.—
Hannah Sacks,
People.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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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
Verb
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On the third floor, The World of RH Bar and Lounge showcases highlights from other RH destinations around the world, including two jets RH One and Two, the RH Three yacht, and 26 restaurants and bars, showing how seamlessly the brand blurs the line between lifestyle and design.—
Erica Wertheim Zohar,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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For him, the hardest questions are the ones in the gray areas, when curiosity blurs into risk.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
11 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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Fire rages through the Singha Durbar, the main administrative building for the Nepal government, in Kathmandu on September 9, 2025 amid widespread protests.—
Alia Shoaib,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
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As war rages in Europe, the two children navigate danger and secrets that challenge their understanding of family and friendship, reshaping their childhoods forever.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
8 Sep. 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 16 Sep. 2025.
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