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.
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to become less white or clear in color.
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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
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(usually used with a negative) to visit someone
never darken my door again!
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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darkensimple
-
darkenssimple
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have darkenedperfect
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has darkenedperfect
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am darkeningprogressive
-
are darkeningprogressive
-
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:
It was the strangest kind of farewell; more sadness than satisfaction, more 'thanks for the memories' than 'never darken our door again'.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
But the bottom lines on the accounting ledgers darken the view considerably.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 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
"Think of photochromic sunglasses. When you're inside, they're just clear lenses. You walk out into the sun, and they darken on their own. Come back inside, and the lenses become clear again," Nguyen continued.
From Science Daily ● May 15, 2026
A smoke seemed to rise up and darken the sun’s disc to the hue of blood, as if it had kindled the grass as it passed down under the rim of earth.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
Include them and Americans’ average level of preparation for retirement darkens considerably.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 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
Space weathering, caused by solar wind particles, micrometeorite impacts, and cosmic radiation, slowly darkens exposed material.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 8, 2026
Eventually he expanded his palette, adding the 20-something Hal and Harper, plus Dad and Kate, whose characters come to the fore in the third episode, which darkens the series’ tone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2025
The plane’s shape darkens a shifting length of ground.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
He stumbled out of bed in his underwear and down the hall to his darkened living room.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Even so, parts of northern Sputnik Planitia have been darkened in patterns that resemble features seen on terrestrial glaciers after they are exposed to rainwater or to liquid emerging from beneath the ice.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 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
Skygazers captured stunning photos of the celestial display - which reached its peak at 15:36 BST - after the skies darkened.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
Dad, Cocoa, and Ms. Lena disappear, and I’m in a darkened tunnel.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
When he first noticed the sky darkening, Chapman thought a storm was coming.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
The specific phenomenon of darkening water, called “freshwater browning,” is driven by a few factors.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 21, 2026
Reduce the heat to low if the spices are darkening in color too quickly.
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2026
Abroad, though, interest rates and inflation risks have shot up, fuel is being conserved, and economic forecasts are darkening.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 2026
His skin was darkening toward a gold similar to his brother’s, with even darker swirls patterning his arms.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
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.
