darkened; darkening
ˈdär-kə-niŋ 
1
: to grow dark : become obscured
the skies were darkening
2
: to become gloomy
his mood darkened
1
: to make dark
2
: to make less clear : obscure
the financial crisis darkened the future of the company
4
: to cast a gloom over
5
: to make of darker color
Examples of darken in a Sentence
The sky darkened and it started to rain.
Her face darkens to a deep red when she gets angry.
The wood will darken as it ages.
The bad news darkened his mood.
The last days of her life were darkened by illness.
His mood darkened after he heard the bad news.
Recent Examples on the Web
And for the last 10 pages, Newport-Berra would darken the image to cheat the sun-setting and early evening.
—
Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 28 Mar. 2025
Yuki Iwamura | Bloomberg | Getty Images Taken from CNBC’s Daily Open, our international markets newsletter — Subscribe today
The shadow of a U.S. recession is growing longer and darkening the outlook for both consumers and CFOs alike, according to various surveys tracking sentiment in March.
—Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 26 Mar. 2025
We were captivated by the main character facing a darkening world with youthful joyfulness and optimism.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 16 Mar. 2025
However, what light pollution will lessen the impact of is the appearance of stars around the moon as the night sky darkens considerably during totality.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for darken
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.
Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 28 Mar. 2025
Yuki Iwamura | Bloomberg | Getty Images Taken from CNBC’s Daily Open, our international markets newsletter — Subscribe today
The shadow of a U.S. recession is growing longer and darkening the outlook for both consumers and CFOs alike, according to various surveys tracking sentiment in March.
—Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 26 Mar. 2025
We were captivated by the main character facing a darkening world with youthful joyfulness and optimism.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 16 Mar. 2025
However, what light pollution will lessen the impact of is the appearance of stars around the moon as the night sky darkens considerably during totality.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for darken
Cite this Entry
“Darken.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/darken. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
darken
verb
dark·en
ˈdär-kən
darkened; darkening
ˈdärk-(ə-)niŋ
1
: to make or grow dark or darker
the sky darkened
2
: to make or become gloomy or forbidding
her face darkened in anger
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share