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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Richard Brookhiser, National Review, 19 Dec. 2024
The weather is darkening, the leaves are falling and the zombies are nearing your doorstep.
—Annalise Frank, Axios, 21 Oct. 2024
Still, not a lot of it is darkening investors’ psyches these days.
—Larry Light, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024
Richard Nixon ran a similar playbook during his own presidential campaign in 1968, which took place amid a darkening war in Vietnam.
—Jeffrey A. Friedman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Oct. 2024
China’s rapid rearmament and the ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are signs that the clouds are darkening.
—Seth G. Jones, Foreign Affairs, 2 Oct. 2024
Thank you for being a beacon of light in a darkening world.
—Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 30 Sep. 2024
Verb
The flowers and the ferns put themselves to bed, shedding petals, drying and darkening, folding up.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for darkening
Adjective
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The Page Turner sees the Page family consumed by the literary world — each in their own way — as its dark, foundational secret runs the risk of exposure.—
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While the app only went dark for a matter of a day or so in the U.S., it was removed from the Apple and Google app stores for weeks, because federal law could have seen Apple or Google penalized for distributing it.—
Verb
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Smothered in clouds, this House of the Dragon valley provides perfect, obscuring aerial cover for anyone who might happen to be wandering around in the wilderness and stumbles into a dragon that went rogue decades ago.—
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However, the relentless pursuit of RTO may be a costly distraction, obscuring deeper issues such as workforce reductions and the evolving nature of work, particularly with the rise of artificial intelligence, that are hindering corporate performance.—
Adjective
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The coming-of-age story finds a new generation of young women in Gilead, grappling with the bleak future that awaits them.—
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Stocks had sold off sharply last Friday, amid growing uncertainty on U.S. trade policy and a bleak inflation outlook.—
Adjective
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Among the greater Eilish team, the sentiment is that of a somber parting, but there remains great respect and appreciation for the tremendous successes, milestones and memories shared with Rukasin and Goodman.—
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The Opening Day festivities in the Bronx took on a somber tone Thursday as the Yankees honored the late son of former outfielder Brett Gardner.—
Adjective
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The truth is more depressing: This show is bad in the usual manner of reality television.—
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That wasn’t even the most depressing of Vlasic’s quotes.—
Adjective
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Mindfulness mediates the association between chronotype and depressive symptoms in young adults.—
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There are four basic types of the disorder, which are characterized by periods of elation and hyper-activity known as manic episodes, which are then followed by depressive stages where the patient experiences feelings of sadness and depression.—
Verb
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Our work in the next session must be focused on lowering costs and helping people make ends meet, not more giveaways to the special interests [of the] wealthy.—
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Similarly, brands with in-house marketing capabilities can align production and promotion, lowering acquisition costs and increasing retention.—
Verb
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Salting on sidewalks and driveways can also run off into your lawn and landscape, poisoning your plants.—
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Defense lawyers said that speech included a series of improper and prejudicial comments against the defendants and their legal team, poisoning any potential jurors against them.—
Cite this Entry
“Darkening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/darkening. Accessed 8 Apr. 2025.
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