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
The sky darkened, Lucas said, encompassing the Ohio hospital room in an eerie darkness with a few dim rays of light peaking through.
—
Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
During a total solar eclipse, the sky can darken significantly, resembling twilight or even dusk, depending on factors such as atmospheric conditions, the duration of totality and the observer's location.
—The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2024
For 2 minutes and 33 seconds, the sky darkened to the pall of twilight at 1:41 p.m.
Dozens of volunteers — from high school students to doctoral candidates — fanned out across the pens and enclosures of the zoo to record how the animals react to a total solar eclipse.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Apr. 2024
Things are going to get a little wacky on April 8th, when a total solar eclipse will darken skies over North America.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 8 Apr. 2024
Although the sky will likely darken and the temperature will drop a little, people outside the path of totality will not experience the full dazzling effects of the total solar eclipse.
—Dean Regas, The Enquirer, 7 Apr. 2024
As the sky darkens, colors, especially warmer ones like red and orange, start to lose vibrancy and saturation, mixing in with the grays.
—Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 7 Apr. 2024
Insects, bats, and birds that feed at night emerge as the sky darkens, sometimes in sufficient numbers to be detectable on radar, says the Weather Channel.
—TIME, 25 Mar. 2024
During the celestial alignment, afternoon skies will darken for a short time along a path more than 100 miles wide, which cuts across Mexico, part of the U.S. and a small section of eastern Canada.
—Jesse Kirsch, NBC News, 28 Mar. 2024
Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
During a total solar eclipse, the sky can darken significantly, resembling twilight or even dusk, depending on factors such as atmospheric conditions, the duration of totality and the observer's location.
—The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2024
For 2 minutes and 33 seconds, the sky darkened to the pall of twilight at 1:41 p.m.
Dozens of volunteers — from high school students to doctoral candidates — fanned out across the pens and enclosures of the zoo to record how the animals react to a total solar eclipse.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Apr. 2024
Things are going to get a little wacky on April 8th, when a total solar eclipse will darken skies over North America.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 8 Apr. 2024
Although the sky will likely darken and the temperature will drop a little, people outside the path of totality will not experience the full dazzling effects of the total solar eclipse.
—Dean Regas, The Enquirer, 7 Apr. 2024
As the sky darkens, colors, especially warmer ones like red and orange, start to lose vibrancy and saturation, mixing in with the grays.
—Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 7 Apr. 2024
Insects, bats, and birds that feed at night emerge as the sky darkens, sometimes in sufficient numbers to be detectable on radar, says the Weather Channel.
—TIME, 25 Mar. 2024
During the celestial alignment, afternoon skies will darken for a short time along a path more than 100 miles wide, which cuts across Mexico, part of the U.S. and a small section of eastern Canada.
—Jesse Kirsch, NBC News, 28 Mar. 2024
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.
Dictionary Entries Near darken
Cite this Entry
“Darken.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/darken. Accessed 19 Apr. 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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