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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 The stream will feature real-time views of the Sturgeon Moon as Earth's shadow darkens its surface in the skies above Portugal and Spain, weather permitting. — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 26 Aug. 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 The sky darkens to twilight, exposing the sun's corona and sometimes revealing stars and planets as temperatures briefly cool. — Stephen J. Beard, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026 Continue cooking until butter begins to smell nutty and darkens in color. — Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 7 Aug. 2026 Cook, stirring often, until paste darkens in color, about 4 minutes. — Rachel Dolfi, Bon Appetit Magazine, 30 July 2026 In addition to causing harmful health impacts, wildfire smoke also darkens glaciers in the mountains. — Joshua Partlow, The Atlantic, 16 July 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

Stimulus trickling in Economists expect better growth for the rest of the year, as adverse weather fades and local governments accelerate fiscal spending.

— Anniek Bao, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026
The sibling drama, meanwhile, rather fades out of view amid these loftier goings-on; the film’s narrative begins to feel devised by the old parlor game Consequences, repeatedly wrenched in erratic new directions.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of fades

Verb

Eclipses always travel in pairs as the sun, moon and Earth align so precisely that one obscures the other.

— Marcia Dunn, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2026
Rather than blocking the sun entirely, the moon obscures only a portion of it, leaving behind the eclipse's signature crescent shape.

— Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of obscures

Verb

Policy support improves a company’s commercial prospects and lowers some of the risks associated with long-term technology investment, said Wang at Hutong Research.

— Anniek Bao,Elaine Yu, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
If competition lowers costs, why have electric bills not fallen?

— Joshua Macey, Hartford Courant, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of lowers

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 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of darkens

verb

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