darken
Americanverb (used with object)
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darkens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
darkened,
past participle, past
-
darkening
present participle
verb (used without object)
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darkens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
darkened,
past participle, past
-
darkening
present participle
-
to become dark or darker.
-
to become obscure.
-
to become less white or clear in color.
-
to grow clouded, as with gloom or anger.
-
to become blind.
idioms
verb
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to make or become dark or darker
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to make or become gloomy, angry, or sad
his mood darkened
-
(usually used with a negative) to visit someone
never darken my door again!
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
darkensimple
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darkenssimple
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have darkenedperfect
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has darkenedperfect
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am darkeningprogressive
-
are darkeningprogressive
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is darkeningprogressive
-
have been darkeningperfect progressive
-
has been darkeningperfect progressive
Past
-
darkenedsimple
-
had darkenedperfect
-
was darkeningprogressive
-
were darkeningprogressive
-
had been darkeningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of darken
First recorded in 1250–1300, darken is from the Middle English word derknen. See dark, -en 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Freshly eroded fragments make the coastal ocean cloudy, while dissolved organic carbon can darken the water.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 3, 2026
Scattered through old Southern community and church cookbooks are recipes for spiced Saltines: butter-soaked, herb-flecked, oven-baked until they darken to a toastier shade of gold.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026
Gray clouds darken the sky, but Leutze bathes Washington in light, depicting him as an unflinching leader of a squad of men that purposely includes a Native American and a black man.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026
As they cook, the beans darken to a rich brown and begin to release an oil, something Netsi says is a sign of good quality coffee.
From BBC ● May 31, 2026
When the orchestra finished, we sat together on the bench and watched the sky darken slowly.
From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine
What complicates and darkens the picture from Andromeda’s perspective is that a significant chunk of AI credit is concentrated in private markets.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
The expansion of plant life darkens the snow and ice, reducing its reflectivity and causing the surrounding area to warm up, triggering ice and snow melt.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
Slowly, the surface darkens into something deeply golden, edged in amber, the fat rendering and crisping, the spice blooming in the oil.
From Salon ● Apr. 10, 2026
Space weathering, caused by solar wind particles, micrometeorite impacts, and cosmic radiation, slowly darkens exposed material.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 8, 2026
If fear darkens his friend’s face, Werner cannot see it.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
He stumbled out of bed in his underwear and down the hall to his darkened living room.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Stars and planets can emerge in the darkened sky, temperatures can fall, and winds may strengthen.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026
Einstein’s equations predicted what should happen, but someone still had to carry a telescope to the right place, wait beneath a darkened sky and look.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Fabrics with sheen or brocade thread add luminescence in the darkened church setting, says Walicka Maimone: “Only so much lighting can come from the windows. We need to lift the palette and create the sparkle.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
To passersby on the darkened London street, they look like nothing out of the ordinary, only young lovers kissing in the rain.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
They also compared tree pollen with fern spores to determine whether the darkening might have been caused by biological differences between plant groups.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
When he first noticed the sky darkening, Chapman thought a storm was coming.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Reduce the heat to low if the spices are darkening in color too quickly.
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2026
And while the survey showed output among businesses holding up relatively well, a darkening demand outlook spells concern for the economy going forward, Colijn said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
Instead, against the darkening sky, I see fireworks.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
