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
Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until mixture darkens slightly, about 3 minutes.
—
Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appetit Magazine, 15 June 2026
Citizen scientists are invited to build their own instrument to measure changes that occur in the atmosphere when the sky momentarily darkens.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 6 June 2026
Pass the flame over the weed until the foliage darkens.
—David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 16 May 2026
Its charming glow is often visible even before the sky fully darkens, which is so fitting and poetic when considering both the planetary and astrological essence of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026
Without an atmosphere, the surface would be especially vulnerable to this process, known as space weathering, which gradually breaks down and darkens rock.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 4 May 2026
As the song ticks past the 20-minute mark, Goldie’s voice gets increasingly desperate and the music darkens.
—Ben Cardew, Pitchfork, 2 May 2026
As Europe's political climate darkens against refugees, asylum seekers and economic migrants, with governments including that of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni focusing resources on limiting new arrivals, Milan is taking a stand for a different approach.
—Ruth Sherlock, NPR, 23 Feb. 2026
In recent years, neighborhoods ranging from Hancock Park and Lincoln Heights to Mar Vista and Pico Union have been plagued by copper wire theft that darkens the streets.
—Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appetit Magazine, 15 June 2026
Citizen scientists are invited to build their own instrument to measure changes that occur in the atmosphere when the sky momentarily darkens.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 6 June 2026
Pass the flame over the weed until the foliage darkens.
—David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 16 May 2026
Its charming glow is often visible even before the sky fully darkens, which is so fitting and poetic when considering both the planetary and astrological essence of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026
Without an atmosphere, the surface would be especially vulnerable to this process, known as space weathering, which gradually breaks down and darkens rock.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 4 May 2026
As the song ticks past the 20-minute mark, Goldie’s voice gets increasingly desperate and the music darkens.
—Ben Cardew, Pitchfork, 2 May 2026
As Europe's political climate darkens against refugees, asylum seekers and economic migrants, with governments including that of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni focusing resources on limiting new arrivals, Milan is taking a stand for a different approach.
—Ruth Sherlock, NPR, 23 Feb. 2026
In recent years, neighborhoods ranging from Hancock Park and Lincoln Heights to Mar Vista and Pico Union have been plagued by copper wire theft that darkens the streets.
—Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for darkens
Verb
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Don’t Kill Reach with External Links Like any business that makes money from advertising, LinkedIn frowns upon directing people away from LinkedIn to another site.—
William Arruda,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
-
Here is our review of a 2025-26 campaign that’s ended with more smiles than frowns.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
26 May 2026
Verb
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But eventually, the party fades, and the album turns inward.—
Maria Nenet Barrios,
Pitchfork,
18 June 2026
-
The app automatically filters content using quality scores derived from user behavior, so better-quality content is likely to rise to the top, whereas poor-quality content fades away.—
Jill Duffy,
PC Magazine,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
The study argues that such indirect language obscures a subject’s right to refuse a search and could violate their Fourth Amendment rights.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
17 June 2026
-
The focus on the regime changes inflicted on the Arab world and the Middle East at large obscures the routine violence inflicted on its people.—
Ta-Nehisi Coates,
Vanity Fair,
15 June 2026
Verb
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That’s been an idiotic trope for too long — that participating in the business side of it taints you.—
Marc Weingarten,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
-
The sarcasm taints the question but doesn’t invalidate it.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The ProtoArc lowers that barrier dramatically.—
Sascha Brodsky,
PC Magazine,
21 June 2026
-
The agency lowers that pressure.—
Gerald J. Leonard,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
As the salmon blackens in a skillet, the spices awaken, encrusting the fish in peppery piquant.—
The Bon Appétit,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
LaBarge frequently interrupts the telling to braid her narrative so tautly with those of others that their language blurs together, quotation marks vanishing, lines of demarcation eroding.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 June 2026
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General admission in some sports is getting so expensive that the barrier between a VIP ticket and a general admission one now blurs because people will pay $1,000 or $1,500 to go to a basketball match on a normal seat in the grandstand.—
James Morris,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
No sadness mars the purity of its paranoia.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
-
However, an earnestness mars most of the proceedings.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Darkens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/darkens. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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