1
as in to frown
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 to obscure
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 to mar
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 darken
The mailers were deeply controversial, after the face of a Black mayoral candidate, then-Councilman Loren Taylor, appeared to be darkened on one mailer, while fellow mayoral candidate Ignacio De La Fuente, a former councilman, was also portrayed in an unflattering way.
—
Jakob Rodgers, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2025
The possibility that vital U.S. military aid for Ukraine was in doubt darkened the mood in Kyiv as Ukrainian forces struggle to hold back Russia’s bigger army on the battlefield.
—Illia Novikov, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2025
Unlike a total eclipse, where the moon completely blocks the sun, a partial eclipse does not darken the sky significantly.
—Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Mar. 2025
In the 2000s, her hair darkened, appearing more dark purple than red, with her makeup turning cooler with neutral-toned browns (see: VH1’s Save The Music Foundation in 2003).
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for darken
Jakob Rodgers, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2025
The possibility that vital U.S. military aid for Ukraine was in doubt darkened the mood in Kyiv as Ukrainian forces struggle to hold back Russia’s bigger army on the battlefield.
—Illia Novikov, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2025
Unlike a total eclipse, where the moon completely blocks the sun, a partial eclipse does not darken the sky significantly.
—Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Mar. 2025
In the 2000s, her hair darkened, appearing more dark purple than red, with her makeup turning cooler with neutral-toned browns (see: VH1’s Save The Music Foundation in 2003).
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for darken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for darken
Verb
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When Verbeek mentioned the Knot, Guadarrama shook his head and frowned.—
Adam Iscoe,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2025
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Even between husband and wife, the use of any contraceptives was frowned upon — and still is, officially.—
Laura Gómez,
Scientific American,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
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As the water diluted the stains, the fabric faded to a soft pink.—
Rebecca Ruth Gould,
JSTOR Daily,
9 Apr. 2025
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In the world of fashion, trends emerge and fade quickly, particularly among teenagers.—
Renan Botelho,
Footwear News,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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In the first, the sheepdog appears engulfed by a thick coat of long white fur, his face nearly obscured by the shaggy mass.—
John W. Dean,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Apr. 2025
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In one interview after the next, people asked us to obscure their full names or not record at all.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The dashboard was part of an extended pressure campaign from Buttigieg, who, during his tenure in the Biden administration, publicly challenged the major carriers to improve service and transparency—particularly after a summer marred by cancellations and flight delays.—
Bailey Berg,
AFAR Media,
8 Apr. 2025
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What to Know Artists like Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift have previously clashed with ticketing platforms, with Swift's 2022 tour marred by widespread ticket access issues.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2025
Verb
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But Oskar continued to be mesmerized, staring at the rotating blades.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Apr. 2025
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Perhaps the Staring Girl is just that, a staring girl.—
Nick Romano,
EW.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Unlike a total solar eclipse, when the disk of the sun is completely blackened, an eclipsed moon does not vanish completely from the sky.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
TIME,
11 Mar. 2025
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But the negro resents and utterly repudiates the effort to blacken his good name by asserting that assaults upon women are peculiar to his race.—
Liz Tracey,
JSTOR Daily,
21 Feb. 2025
Verb
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On the other hand, holding a company liable for one person’s speech blurs the line between individual and collective responsibility.—
Kwame Anthony Appiah,
New York Times,
26 Mar. 2025
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Though rooted in self-love, these trends can blur the line between care and consumerism.—
Jasmine Browley,
Essence,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Dodge won't spoil the surprise by confirming if the last one will be based on the Charger or the Challenger (or maybe both), but the evidence suggests the latter is more likely.—
Jack Fitzgerald,
Car and Driver,
13 Feb. 2023
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Farmers’ broiler chickens suffocate, and dairy products spoil.—
Monica Mark,
The Christian Science Monitor,
10 Feb. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Darken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/darken. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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