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
Here’s a symbolic gesture that deeply touched me, a heartening drama on a darkening stage: the wooden Nativity scene unveiled at the Vatican earlier this month, created by Palestinian artists from Dar al-Kalima University, in Bethlehem.
—
Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2024
Country Life Last Leaves As the flowers and the ferns put themselves to bed, shedding petals, drying and darkening, folding up, one garden plant stays longer than all the rest: kale.
—Richard Brookhiser, National Review, 19 Dec. 2024
But the elation felt by many Syrians is darkened by the anguish of searching for news of relatives who disappeared in prisons where death and torture were routine.
—Justin Salhani, The Dial, 17 Dec. 2024
After Endo’s expensive wager on Par, the national conversation over opioids darkened.
—Bob Fernandez, ProPublica, 17 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for darken 
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Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2024
Country Life Last Leaves As the flowers and the ferns put themselves to bed, shedding petals, drying and darkening, folding up, one garden plant stays longer than all the rest: kale.
—Richard Brookhiser, National Review, 19 Dec. 2024
But the elation felt by many Syrians is darkened by the anguish of searching for news of relatives who disappeared in prisons where death and torture were routine.
—Justin Salhani, The Dial, 17 Dec. 2024
After Endo’s expensive wager on Par, the national conversation over opioids darkened.
—Bob Fernandez, ProPublica, 17 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for darken
Dictionary Entries Near darken
Cite this Entry
“Darken.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/darken. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
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
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