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
Apparently, the concert’s pyrotechnics, located directly underneath the banners, literally darkened the legacy of the team in a way the stories of Michael Jordan’s gambling and Dennis Rodman’s smelliness never could.
—
Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2025
Early Friday morning, a red moon will darken over Chicago skies.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2025
Their perfect alignment darkens the moon, from the perspective of folks looking up, because our planet's position blocks most sunlight from reaching it.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 13 Mar. 2025
This alignment prevents sunlight from directly reaching the moon, so the moon appears darkened or takes on a reddish hue.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for darken
Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2025
Early Friday morning, a red moon will darken over Chicago skies.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2025
Their perfect alignment darkens the moon, from the perspective of folks looking up, because our planet's position blocks most sunlight from reaching it.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 13 Mar. 2025
This alignment prevents sunlight from directly reaching the moon, so the moon appears darkened or takes on a reddish hue.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 12 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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The Federal Railway Safety Act But Cassity and other union leaders remain concerned that little requires railroads like Norfolk Southern to maintain these protocols once the headlines of East Palestine fade away.—
Atlanta Journal-Constitution,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2025
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Third to Journalism in the recent San Felipe Stakes — the race that more or less made Journalism a candidate Derby horse and that saw Rodriguez fade to show — Rodriguez currently clings to step No. 30 on the Derby points ladder, with 21-plus points.—
Guy Martin,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Baseball’s celebration of that day often obscures the fact that MLB hasn’t been African American friendly in decades.—
Terence Moore,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
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As recalls have been announced, Cybertruck sales have seemingly slumped, as Tesla obscured the true figures by lumping numbers in with sales of Model X and Model S, MotorTrend reported.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The transition has been marred by ongoing disagreements, political tensions, infighting and what security experts describe as a lack of a cohesive strategy for fighting the gangs.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
24 Mar. 2025
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What Happened On March 8? The SAT, a cornerstone of college admissions, was marred by technical and administrative issues on test day.—
Scott White,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Tickets to the Nampa show become available to the general public staring at 10 a.m. Friday for $39.50 to $79.50 through fordidahocenter.com.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
31 Mar. 2025
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Rather than stare into your closet (or suitcase) to piece together an elevated outfit, the work is done for you.—
Genevieve Cepeda,
Travel + Leisure,
31 Mar. 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 8 Apr. 2025.
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