DARKEN Synonyms: 131 Similar and Opposite Words

darken

verb

ˈdär-kən

Definition of darken

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

as in to fade

to grow dark the sky darkened as a storm moved in

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of darken The planet becomes easier to identify as the sky darkens, making the best time for viewing during the late-night and early-morning hours. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 24 Aug. 2026 However, they can be ordered with Transitions lenses that darken outdoors and clear up inside. — Scott Kramer, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026 The title references Black Like Me, white journalist John Howard Griffin’s 1961 nonfiction book about darkening his skin to pass for Black in the Jim Crow South. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026 Young agent Nina is recuperating in Corfu after a botched mission in the Balkans, but the idyllic landscape darkens when an agent is murdered. — Monitor Reviewers, Christian Science Monitor, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for darken

Recent Examples of Synonyms for darken

Verb

Like a growing number of French seaside resorts, it's not only frowned upon; you can be fined.

— Lanie Goodman, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Aug. 2026
The sky darkened suddenly, as if it had been turned down by a dimmer switch, and Decoteau frowned at a weather app on his phone.

— Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of frown

Verb

As his memories begin to fade, he's left in a panic, not wanting to lose everything.

— Grace Dean, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2026
It was designed to give Hawthorne’s fading downtown a boost with three major department stores — JCPenney in addition to the Broadway and Montgomery Ward — as well as numerous shops and a movie theater.

— Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of fade

Verb

Forward vision is excellent because there’s no roof, A-pillars, or much of anything obscuring your view (the only model above the Signature Edition, called the Grand Touring, does include a roof of sorts).

— William Roberson, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
The glass is reeded and translucent, obscuring the line cooks behind it.

— Alexis Benveniste, Architectural Digest, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of obscure

Verb

For example, some sculptures establish sight lines while gazing toward other sculptures—a bronze representation of the messenger god Mercury in the Carter Collection room stares beyond its space to the Bateman Mercury, ca.

— George Baker, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
Four of the best months of the year, staring us right in our fat faces.

— Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of stare

Verb

With minimal humidity, near-perfect clear-sky frequency and vast empty horizons, Namibia offers the kind of slow, immersive darkness that makes dusking feel less like a trend and more like a return to something ancient.

— Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026
The park is open from daylight to dusk for visitors and 24/7 for campers.

— Isa Almeida, Oklahoman, 15 Jan. 2026

Definition of dusk

Verb

As dark occurrences begin to shatter the quiet of their isolated home, the boy is forced to navigate a harrowing psychological nightmare where the line between real-world madness and supernatural terror blurs.

— Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 1 Sep. 2026
Here the view from an automobile traveling at speed blurs the landscape into a series of abstract forms—the way the world appears is changed by the velocity of technology, and so is your experience of it.

— Caitlín Doherty, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of blur

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dark ages

darken

darkened

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“Darken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/darken. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of darken

verb

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