1
as in to frown
to take on a gloomy or forbidding look
his face slowly darkened as we told him the sad news
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2
3
as in to obscure
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 to mar
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
the scandal darkened his otherwise sterling reputation
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Examples of darken in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
My daughter disappears beside me on the shoreline of a beach, where the murky Gulf foams, darkens the sand, rears back to colder depths.
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Katie Gutierrez, TIME, 19 Sep. 2024
Also in her memoir, Ina reveals that her childhood in Stamford, Conn., was darkened by emotional abuse from her mother, Florence, a dietitian, and physical abuse by her father, Charles, a surgeon.
—Ana Calderone, Peoplemag, 17 Sep. 2024
With sanctuaries still darkened as of Sunday morning, some churches canceled regular services while others like Faith Baptist Church in Perry opted to worship outside.
—Kate Payne, TIME, 30 Sep. 2024
With sanctuaries still darkened Sunday morning, some churches canceled regular services while others like Faith Baptist Church in Perry opted to worship outside.
—Kate Payne, arkansasonline.com, 30 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for darken 
Katie Gutierrez, TIME, 19 Sep. 2024
Also in her memoir, Ina reveals that her childhood in Stamford, Conn., was darkened by emotional abuse from her mother, Florence, a dietitian, and physical abuse by her father, Charles, a surgeon.
—Ana Calderone, Peoplemag, 17 Sep. 2024
With sanctuaries still darkened as of Sunday morning, some churches canceled regular services while others like Faith Baptist Church in Perry opted to worship outside.
—Kate Payne, TIME, 30 Sep. 2024
With sanctuaries still darkened Sunday morning, some churches canceled regular services while others like Faith Baptist Church in Perry opted to worship outside.
—Kate Payne, arkansasonline.com, 30 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for darken
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'darken.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Darken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/darken. Accessed 30 Oct. 2024.
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