Antonyms for darken


Grammar : Verb
Spell : dahr-kuhn
Phonetic Transcription : ˈdɑr kən


Definition of darken

Origin :
  • c. 1300, "to make dark;" late 14c., "to become dark," from dark (adj.) + -en (1). The more usual verb in Middle English was simply dark, as it is in Chaucer and Shakespeare, and darken did not predominate until 17c. The Anglo-Saxons also had a verb sweorcan meaning "to grow dark." To darken someone's door (usually with a negative) is attested from 1729.
  • verb become shaded, unlit
Example sentences :
  • If this is done, the cauliflower will darken and break into pieces.
  • Extract from : « Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 5 » by Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
  • He saw the thundercloud arise that was to darken the horizon.
  • Extract from : « The Eighteenth Century in English Caricature » by Selwyn Brinton
  • He saw the blighting shadow of Asgill begin to darken the scene.
  • Extract from : « The Wild Geese » by Stanley John Weyman
  • The man, whoever he was, did not darken the lighted doorway.
  • Extract from : « Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard » by Joseph Conrad
  • He was always on the look-out for his brother, as soon as the sky began to darken.
  • Extract from : « The Rambles of a Rat » by A. L. O. E.
  • He colored and his eyes seemed to darken as he spoke to the two girls.
  • Extract from : « Mary Rose of Mifflin » by Frances R. Sterrett
  • By this time the husks will have begun to decompose and darken the kernels.
  • Extract from : « Northern Nut Growers Association Thirty-Fourth Annual Report 1943 » by Various
  • The black shadow of the Tombs did not darken this Eden of my youth.
  • Extract from : « Ernest Linwood » by Caroline Lee Hentz
  • This is a great mystery which people are afraid to look into, and darken it of their own will.
  • Extract from : « Daily Thoughts » by Charles Kingsley
  • She walked softly to the window and adjusted the shade to darken the office.
  • Extract from : « All Day September » by Roger Kuykendall

Synonyms for darken

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019