darkening 1 of 2

adjective

as in dark
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer a darkening sky that seemed to match our downcast spirits

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

darkening

2 of 2

verb

present participle of darken
1
as in frowning
to take on a gloomy or forbidding look his face slowly darkened as we told him the sad news

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fading
to grow dark the sky darkened as a storm moved in

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in obscuring
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 marring
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable the scandal darkened his otherwise sterling reputation

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 darkening
Verb
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 During a total eclipse, the moon completely covers the face of the sun, darkening the sky and revealing just the sun’s outer atmosphere called the corona. — Devika Rao, TheWeek, 12 Aug. 2026 Instead of darkening the sky and unveiling the sun's signature circular ring, this time around the moon will only partly cover the sun, giving it a crescent shape, according to NASA. — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026 In locations where the eclipse will occur around sunset, people may see Perseid meteors during totality, the minutes when the moon fully blocks the sun’s light, leaving a fiery ring and temporarily darkening the skies. — Denise Chow, NBC news, 11 Aug. 2026 Severe weather cut power Tuesday in the Chicago area and northwestern Indiana as perilous storms pummeled the region, darkening the sky and carrying extreme wind gusts across state lines. — ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026 The summer sounds of 1966 offered a distraction from darkening clouds of social and political upheaval. — Michael Peregrine, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2026 The Hapsburg Inspector General, the equivalent of the food inspector darkening the doorway of a scummy restaurant? — Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 16 July 2026 Alfred Dreyfus to warn that the ‘demons of antisemitism’ haunting France’s past are again darkening its present. — Masha MacPherson, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for darkening
  1. dark
  2. frowning
  3. fading
  4. obscuring
  5. marring
  6. bleak
  7. staring
  8. blackening
Adjective
  • On top of the moving-camera-foamy-dark-mouth challenge, there was the plaque challenge.
    — Jenny Bailly, Allure, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Finley’s breakout was the 2017 dark comedy Thoroughbreds, in which Olivia Cooke and Anya Taylor-Joy play high-schoolers conspiring to kill an abusive stepfather.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of dark
Verb
  • This focuses readers on the all-black uniforms of the veiled pupils, who—in a long frame at the center of the page—sit between the looming, frowning teacher on the right and Marji on the left, who stands up to explain that her uncle was executed by the Islamic regime.
    — Hillary Chute, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026
  • Woods, 50, is seen frowning in the photo, taken shortly after the legendary golfer was booked into jail on March 27 after his Land Rover rolled over in Jupiter Island, Florida.
    — Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026
Definition of frowning
Verb
  • As the conflict grinds on, Trump’s talk of finding a quick end to the war also appears to be fading.
    — Aamer Madhani, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • European banks have shaken off a weak first quarter to notch solid share price gains in the year to date, but Citi analysts warn their momentum may be fading.
    — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of fading
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 obscuring
Verb
  • To prevent a similar war from happening again, Menelaus scarred her face, permanently marring her famous beauty.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 18 July 2026
  • Lined with live oaks and old-fashioned, busy storefronts, this artsy town on the Gulf of Mexico has no commercial development marring its shoreline.
    — Valerie Fraser Luesse, Southern Living, 16 June 2026
Definition of marring
Adjective
  • Although the news may be bleak for the dinner's thousands of supporters, the committee also shared a glimmer of hope.
    — Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 25 Aug. 2026
  • In many ways, her life feels like a bleak look at the false promise of placing all of your need for validation in your husband.
    — Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of bleak
Verb
  • Finkelstein is also part of another program that will attempt to re-create Hubble and JWST’s famous deep-field images, which revealed millions of previously unseen galaxies by staring at seemingly empty patches of sky.
    — Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 27 Aug. 2026
  • When producer Robert Stigwood initially approached him about staring in the Sgt.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of staring
Verb
  • Check monthly for signs of shriveling (add moisture), blackening or softening (discard).
    — Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2026
  • The Volcano fire was among blazes this week, blackening more than 100 acres in Riverside County.
    — Joseph Serna, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
Definition of blackening

Browse Nearby Words

darkened
darkening
darkens
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Darkening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/darkening. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All