darken

Meanings

1. 1verbintransitive

   To become darker or less bright.

   Grammar: No object; often used with 'as' or 'when': The sky darkened as the storm approached.

   Patterns

   • darken as something happens
   • darken with something

   The room darkened when the sun went behind a cloud.

   Her face darkened with anger at the news.

   The sky darkened quickly before the storm.

2. 2verbtransitive

   To make something darker in color or light.

   Grammar: Takes an object: darken the color, darken the room.

   Patterns

   • darken something
   • darken something with something

   She darkened the sauce with a little soy sauce.

   Please darken the screen so the text is easier to read.

   The curtains darken the room completely.

3. 3verbtransitive or intransitivefigurative

   To make or become more gloomy or serious in mood.

   Grammar: Can be used with or without an object: The mood darkened. / The news darkened the mood.

   Patterns

   • darken someone's mood
   • darken the atmosphere

   The bad news darkened the whole atmosphere of the party.

   His expression darkened when he heard the criticism.

   The mood in the room darkened after the argument.

Word forms

Common combinations

darken the room

Heavy curtains can darken the room during the day.

darken with anger

Her eyes darkened with anger.

darken the sky

Smoke from the fire darkened the sky.

darken someone's mood

The sad news darkened everyone's mood.

Synonyms and how they differ

dim

Dim means to make or become less bright, often by reducing light; darken is more general and can also mean becoming darker in color or mood.

blacken

Blacken means to make or become black, often by burning or staining; darken is less extreme and can refer to any shade.

Opposites

Word family

dark adjective

Having little or no light; also deep in color.

darkness noun

The state of being dark; absence of light.

darkly adverb

In a dark or gloomy way; often used in a figurative sense.

Commonly confused: darken or dark?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “darken”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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