DARKENS Synonyms: 132 Similar and Opposite Words

darkens

verb

present tense third-person singular of darken

as in frowns

to take on a gloomy or forbidding look his face slowly darkened as we told him the sad news

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as in fades

to grow dark the sky darkened as a storm moved in

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as in obscures

to make dark, dim, or indistinct years of accumulated grime have darkened the painting until it can barely be seen

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as in taints

to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable the scandal darkened his otherwise sterling reputation

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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 darkens Instead, the surrounding sky darkens, increasing the contrast until the pale daytime moon seems to switch on at dusk and grow increasingly brilliant. — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2026 Cook until the sauce darkens and thickens, about 1 to 2 minutes. — Candy Hom, AJC.com, 12 Oct. 2026 Pour in the tomato puree, mix gently, partially cover, and cook until the puree darkens and thickens and has mostly been absorbed by the rice, about 3 minutes. — ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026 Some woods are very photosensitive, like cherry and walnut, but cherry darkens with sun exposure while walnut fades. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 13 Sep. 2026 When a treatment starts, the room darkens, and chromatherapy lights cast soft purple, blue, and red hues across the room as a soft mist showers down from the ceiling. — Jen Murphy, Travel + Leisure, 7 Sep. 2026 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 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 Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images A total solar eclipse darkens the skies over northeastern Spain, with Corbera dâEbre, in Tarragona, Spain, on August 12, 2026, among the locations along the path of totality. — Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 13 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for darkens

Verb

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

Definition of frowns

Verb

That is, when the dialogue is audible at all; much of it ends up subsumed by a thundering sound mix that obscures what you’re actually meant to hear.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
Pedestrians walk along Marina Bay as thick haze obscures the Merlion park and surrounding skyline in Singapore on October 14, 2026.

— Jenny Lee,Zechariah Chan, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of obscures

Verb

Four families living near Meta’s Newton County data center are suing the tech giant, claiming the massive facility taints their drinking water and disrupts their daily lives.

— AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 2 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of taints

Verb

Blending 1970s sci-fi aesthetics with a timeless world where cell phones are the only markers of temporal difference, the film blurs the boundaries between memory, history and the supernatural.

— Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 18 Oct. 2026
The administration’s pursuit of profit and peace blurs the line between public and private interests.

— Max Boot, Washington Post, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of blurs

Verb

Especially the guy who bangs a wrecking ball against the historic East Wing to make room for an incongruous ballroom monstrosity, who mars the sacred Oval Office with gold glitter and paves over the lovely Rose Garden.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
Jacob Whitehead Homophobic chant mars Mexico’s win Before the World Cup, the Mexican football federation launched a campaign that featured the heroes of the country’s 1986 World Cup side.

— Jack Lang, New York Times, 26 June 2026

Definition of mars

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darkening

darkens

dark horse

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“Darkens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/darkens. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of darkens

verb

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