darken

darken — verb

1. If the sky or a room darkens, it becomes dark as the sun goes down, a storm arri

1.verbintransitiveB1
Definition

If the sky or a room darkens, it becomes dark as the sun goes down, a storm arrives, or the light fades away.

Example

The sky began to darken as the storm moved closer to the village.

pattern: sky + begin + to darken

We hurried home when we saw the evening sky darken behind the hills.

Common collocations
  • sky darkens
  • room darkens
  • darken suddenly
  • darken gradually
Synonyms
  • dim

    more specific; usually implies less light rather than the absence of all light

  • grow dark

    more informal and conversational; common in everyday English

Antonyms
  • brighten

    the direct opposite; used for both sky and rooms

Grammar Patterns

subject (the sky, a room) + darken

Usage Note

The subject is usually the sky, the evening, or an indoor space. This sense is less common in everyday speech than 'get dark' — use 'darken' for more formal or descriptive writing.

2. When a colour or surface darkens, it changes to a shade that is deeper, closer t

2.verbintransitiveB1
Definition

When a colour or surface darkens, it changes to a shade that is deeper, closer to black, or less bright than before.

Example

The oak wood darkens naturally over time if it is not treated with a sealant.

pattern: material + darken + over time

Liang watched the paint darken as it dried on the old wooden fence.

Common collocations
  • wood darkens
  • colour darkens
  • darken over time
  • darken with age
Synonyms
  • deepen

    more literary; often used for the intensity of a colour

  • grow darker

    more conversational; longer but more natural in speech

Antonyms
  • lighten

    direct opposite; becoming brighter or paler in colour

Grammar Patterns

subject (material, colour, surface) + darken

Usage Note

Common with natural materials (wood, leather, metal) and paints. Use 'fade' for the opposite direction (lighter, not darker).

3. To turn off the lights, close the curtains, or block the light so that a room or

3.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

To turn off the lights, close the curtains, or block the light so that a room or building becomes dark.

Example

Eleni darkened the bedroom so the baby could sleep without any light.

pattern: darken + room + so + [purpose]

The stage crew darkened the theatre before the opening scene began.

Common collocations
  • darken a room
  • darken a theatre
  • darken a building
Synonyms
  • dim

    less extreme; reduces light but doesn't eliminate it completely

Antonyms
  • light up

    to make a space bright; opposite of darkening a room

Grammar Patterns

darken + object (room, building)

Usage Note

This sense is deliberately transitive — someone actively makes a space dark. In everyday conversation, 'turn off the lights' or 'close the curtains' is more common than 'darken the room'.

Common Mistakes

I darkened the light.
I darkened the room.
'darken' takes a space as its object, not a light source.

4. To add a darker shade to something or to change its colour so that it becomes le

4.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

To add a darker shade to something or to change its colour so that it becomes less bright and more like a deep tone.

Example

Ritu darkened the blue paint by mixing in a small amount of black.

pattern: darken + [colour] + by mixing + [substance]

The artist darkened the shadows under the tree with a soft charcoal pencil.

Common collocations
  • darken paint
  • darken wood
  • darken eyebrows
  • darken a colour
Synonyms
  • deepen

    more common for colours in art contexts

  • shade in

    specific to drawing and colouring

Antonyms
  • lighten

    to make a colour paler or less intense

Grammar Patterns

darken + object (paint, wood, eyebrows, surface)

Usage Note

Often used in art, cosmetics, and DIY contexts. The object is the thing whose colour is being changed, not the colour itself.

Common Mistakes

She darkened the colour to black.
She darkened the paint to a deeper shade of blue.
specify what substance you are darkening, not the colour name.

5. If someone's mood, expression, or the atmosphere of a situation darkens, it beco

5.verbintransitiveB2
Definition

If someone's mood, expression, or the atmosphere of a situation darkens, it becomes more serious, sad, unhappy, or threatening.

Example

Carlos's mood darkened when he heard the news about the cancelled flights.

pattern: mood + darken + when + [trigger]

The atmosphere in the office darkened after the manager announced the budget cuts.

Common collocations
  • mood darkens
  • expression darkens
  • atmosphere darkens
  • face darkens
Synonyms
  • cloud over

    more informal; often used for someone's face or mood

  • turn sour

    informal; specifically for situations or relationships

Antonyms
  • lift

    used with 'mood' or 'spirits' when they improve

  • brighten

    the opposite; mood or face becomes happy again

Grammar Patterns

subject (mood, atmosphere, expression, situation) + darken

Usage Note

The subject is always an abstract noun — mood, face, expression, atmosphere, tone. A concrete object like 'table' or 'garden' would not fit this sense.

6. To make an event, mood, or atmosphere less happy, more serious, or more worrying

6.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

To make an event, mood, or atmosphere less happy, more serious, or more worrying than it was before.

Example

The constant rain darkened the mood of the campers during their holiday.

pattern: [event] + darken + mood of + [group]

The argument darkened the family gathering that had started so cheerfully.

Common collocations
  • darken the mood
  • darken the atmosphere
  • darken the celebration
  • darken the occasion
Synonyms
  • cast a shadow over

    similar meaning but more idiomatic and common in speech

  • dampen

    milder; reduces enjoyment rather than creating serious worry

Antonyms
  • lift

    used with 'mood' or 'spirits'; to make them happier again

Grammar Patterns

darken + object (mood, occasion, celebration, atmosphere)

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 5: sense 5 is intransitive (the mood itself darkens), while sense 6 is transitive (something darkens the mood). The transitive structure is more formal and literary.

7. To spoil the good opinion that people have of someone or something, especially t

7.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

To spoil the good opinion that people have of someone or something, especially through bad actions, scandal, or negative news.

Example

The scandal darkened the reputation of a company that had been trusted for decades.

pattern: scandal + darken + reputation of + [entity]

Lies spread online can quickly darken a person's name beyond repair.

Common collocations
  • darken someone's reputation
  • darken someone's name
  • darken someone's character
Synonyms
  • tarnish

    more common; specifically suggests damage to a previously good reputation

  • sully

    even more formal and literary; suggests moral staining

  • damage

    the most neutral and common word for harming a reputation

Antonyms
  • restore

    to bring back a good reputation after it has been damaged

Grammar Patterns

darken + object (reputation, name, character, image)

Usage Note

This is a formal, literary sense. In everyday English, speakers are far more likely to use 'damage', 'ruin', or 'tarnish' with 'reputation'. 'Darken' in this sense carries a slightly old-fashioned or serious tone.

Idioms

never darken my door again

idiom

A way of telling someone that they are no longer welcome in your home.

After the argument, Dad told Tom never to darken his door again.

She was so angry that she shouted, "Never darken my door again!"

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four describe a loss of light, but they differ in scope and usage. 'Darken' is the broadest and most neutral — it covers the sky, a room, or a colour moving toward black. 'Dim' suggests a reduction in brightness rather than a complete loss of light; a screen dims, a lamp dims, but the sky does not 'dim' in the same way it 'darkens'. 'Grow dark' is the everyday conversational alternative to 'darken' — a parent calls out 'It's growing dark!' to bring the children inside, whereas 'darken' would sound too literary. 'Fade' is about light losing intensity gradually, but it often implies colour bleaching or daylight softening rather than the approach of night. In short: 'darken' for any movement toward darkness; 'dim' for controllable light sources; 'grow dark' for natural, informal settings; 'fade' for gentle, gradual light loss.

darken ↗dim ↗grow darkfade ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • darken over time
  • darken with age

Prepositions

Etymology

GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'darken' entered English around the 13th century, formed by adding the suffix '-en' (meaning 'to make or become') to the Old English adjective 'deorc', which meant 'without light, gloomy, or sad'. The suffix '-en' was very productive in Middle English, creating verbs from adjectives (compare 'whiten', 'blacken', 'sharpen', 'widen'). The figurative senses ('mood darkens', 'reputation darkens') appeared by the 16th century, extending the physical meaning of 'becoming dark' to emotional and moral domains.