as in dark
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer
a darkening sky that seemed to match our downcast spirits
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1
as in frowning
to take on a gloomy or forbidding look
his face slowly darkened as we told him the sad news
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2
as in fading
to grow dark
the sky darkened as a storm moved in
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3
as in obscuring
to make dark, dim, or indistinct
years of accumulated grime have darkened the painting until it can barely be seen
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4
as in marring
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
the scandal darkened his otherwise sterling reputation
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of darkening
Shea Simmons, Southern Living, 26 Dec. 2025
Alternating between onion and potatoes when grating helps keep the potatoes from darkening.
—Joan Nathan, Saveur, 4 Dec. 2025
There were other signs that the labor picture is darkening heading into 2026.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 2 Dec. 2025
Recent research has shown the Northern Hemisphere is darkening faster than the South, creating an imbalance that scientists say is rising faster than models predicted, and could intensify warming in the northern hemisphere and disrupt global weather patterns.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Farther up, on Observatory Hill, tall cryptomeria trees were silhouetted in the darkening evening, and down in the valleys, lights winked on like reflections of the planets and stars appearing in the sky.
—Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Plus, their fabric and fill are less likely to accrue that ever-darkening yellowish stain that tired goose down pillows acquire over time, thanks to sweat, oils, lotion residues, etc.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 24 Oct. 2025
The character work elevates this far above your usual slasher or whodunit, and has a lot to say about the threat of solitude always darkening the edges of old age.
—Neil McRobert, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
Heavy fuel oil also produces black carbon, a kind of soot that can settle on the ice and accelerate melt by darkening the surface, meaning more of the sun’s energy is absorbed.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
Add this set of room-darkening curtains to block light for a darker bedroom at night, or grab this fleece blanket to snuggle up with and add texture to a room.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for darkening
Adjective
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Don't feel afraid to play with bold (but dark) colors and various materials.—
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Open my soul to the vast dark places.—
Verb
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One mask depicts a frowning hobo with a 5 o'clock shadow that represents the aforementioned vagrant.—
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Derek Hinkey’s character, the Shoshone warrior Red Feather, is almost always frowning at white settlers, looking undeniably foreboding with his face slathered in black paint and galloping on horseback into battle.—
Verb
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But her role as fading movie star Kay Stone in Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme, opposite Timothée Chalamet, marks her grand return.—
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The days of underground stashes and whispered conversations are fading fast.—
Verb
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This International Dark Sky Park, located in southwest Texas, is about a six-hour drive from San Antonio, the nearest city, so there won't be much light pollution obscuring your views of the constellations.—
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Yet this focus on the moment of capture risks obscuring the more consequential lesson.—
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Including playoffs, Mayfield turned the ball over more than anyone else from 2023 through 2024, marring an otherwise fantastic two seasons in Tampa Bay.—
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An optional front rack on both models adds instant utility without marring the retro-fantastic looks.—
Adjective
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Her family later learned that on April 23, 2021 — the day Parker found his aunt in a bleak mood — Dee had an angry confrontation over financial issues with two employees of the trucking company.—
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Some of Tarr’s most memorable scenes feature landscapes, often bleak and despairing settings of decaying Hungarian towns, punctuated with close-ups of characters’ faces.—
Verb
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Below-average play is often staring you right in the face while catastrophe lurks around the corner.—
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The face in question, below, involves Sherman staring with her mouth agape.—
Verb
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High-Heat-Safe Alternatives While enameled cast-iron cookware is excellent to use for braising, roasting, baking, or gentle stovetop cooking, certain high heat applications like searing steak or blackening fish are best done in other types of pans, like traditional cast iron or stainless steel.—
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Each footstep sent up clouds of dust and ash, coating everything, including my mouth and teeth, in fine grit, blackening my snot and saliva.—
Cite this Entry
“Darkening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/darkening. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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