Word.ws English Dictionary

Synonyms of darken

120 similar words

Another word for darken is blacken. Other synonyms of darken are swarten.

Synonyms and similar words for darken

verbTo make dark or darker by reducing light.

verbTo become dark or darker (having less light).

verbTo get dark (referring to the sky, either in the evening or as a result of cloud).

verbTo become dark or darker in colour.

verbTo render gloomy, darker in mood.

  • begloomTo sadden.
  • bring downTo make (someone) feel bad emotionally.
  • dispiritTo lower the morale of; to make despondent; to dishearten.
  • aggrieveTo cause someone to feel pain or sorrow to; to afflict.
  • besorrowTo sorrow about or over; care about; fill with care or sorrow; make sad.
  • grieveTo cause sorrow or distress to.
  • pain
  • come down onTo cause melancholy in (someone).
  • dashTo dishearten; to sadden.
  • dejectMake sad or dispirited.
  • depressTo make depressed, sad or bored.
  • desolateTo make someone sad, forlorn and hopeless.
  • forset UK, dialectalTo upset; hinder.
  • get downTo depress; discourage; fatigue.
  • grievenTo make or become grievous or grief-stricken; to fill or be filled with grief.
  • oppressTo make sad or gloomy.
  • saddenTo become sad or unhappy.
  • sadden upTo become or make (something) sad.
  • ungladdenTo take the gladness from.
  • unhappyTo make or become unhappy; to sadden.
  • upsetTo make (a person) angry, distressed, or unhappy.
  • attrist archaicTo sadden; to make sad.
  • begrieve archaicTo cause grief or grieving.
  • contristate obsoleteTo make sorrowful; to sadden or grieve.
  • engrieve archaicTo cause grief to, to vex or pain; to associate with vexation or pain.
  • moan obsoleteTo grieve.
  • repent archaic
  • rue obsoleteTo cause to feel sorrow or pity.
  • tristitiate obsoleteTo sadden.

verbTo become gloomy, darker in mood.

  • gloomTo look or feel sad, sullen or despondent.
  • mournTo express sadness or sorrow for; to grieve over (especially a death).
  • yearn
  • bleed
  • lamentTo express grief; to weep or wail; to mourn.
  • remorseTo experience remorse or sorrow; to regret.
  • regretTo feel sorry about (any thing).
  • sighTo lament; to grieve.
  • sorrowTo feel or express grief.
  • condole obsoleteTo express deep sorrow; to grieve, to lament.
  • erme obsoleteTo grieve; to feel sad.
  • wayment obsoleteTo lament.

verbTo blind, impair the eyesight.

  • beblindTo blind (cause to be blind); make completely blind.
  • blindenTo make or render blind.
  • exoculateTo deprive of eyes; blind.
  • inblindTo produce blindness in; make blind; blind.

verbTo cloud, obscure, or perplex; to render less clear or intelligible.

  • becloudTo cast in a negative light, cast a pall over, darken.
  • bedarkenTo make dim, or to darken, or obscure.
  • bedimTo make (something) dim; to darken, to obscure.
  • fog

verbTo make foul; to sully; to tarnish.

  • befoulTo make foul; to soil; to contaminate, pollute.
  • denigrate
  • soilTo make dirty.
  • beclart UK, dialectalTo besmear; bedaub; bemire; smear all over with dirt.
  • bedirtyTo dirty, soil; make dirty.
  • bedizen UK, dialectalTo make (someone or something) dirty; to bedaub, to besmear, to dirty.
  • begrimeTo ingrain grime or dirt which is difficult to remove into (something); also (more generally), to make (something)...
  • beshit figuratively, vulgarTo soil; to spoil; to defile; to befoul.
  • besmearTo smear over, to smear all over, to daub.
  • besmirchTo make dirty.
  • besullyTo make sullied or soiled; defile.
  • blotTo impair; to damage; to mar; to soil.
  • clatTo dirty.
  • contaminateTo soil, stain, corrupt, or infect by contact or association.
  • defileTo make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean; to befoul, to soil.
  • dirtenTo make or become dirty or soiled.
  • dirty
  • elt ScotlandTo begrime; soil with mud; daub; smear.
  • foulTo make dirty.
  • gunkTo soil or make dirty.
  • gunk upTo soil or dirty; to mess up; to clog.
  • inquinateTo pollute or make dirty.
  • scungeTo mark with scunge; to begrime or besmirch.
  • sling mud
  • slotterTo make filthy; to foul.
  • slurTo soil; to sully; to contaminate; to disgrace.
  • smearTo make something dirty.
  • smirchTo dirty; to make dirty.
  • smudgeTo soil or smear with dirt.
  • smutTo stain (or be stained) with soot or other dirt.
  • smutchTo soil, stain or smudge.
  • soss UK, dialectalTo soil; to make dirty.
  • spotTo stain; to leave a spot (on).
  • stainTo discolor, as by spilling or other contact with a fluid or substance.
  • sullowTo sully.
  • sullyTo soil or stain; to dirty.
  • tarnishTo compromise, damage, soil, or sully.
  • assoil obsoleteTo make (something) dirty or soiled; to soil; to stain; to sully.
  • bedaub obsoleteTo smear upon; to soil.
  • imbrue (especially with blood) archaic, literary
  • befile obsoleteTo make filthy; befoul; soil.
  • befilth rareTo cover with filth; make filthy; begrime.
  • beray archaic, obsoleteTo make foul; befoul; soil.
  • bewray archaic, obsoleteTo soil or befoul; to beray.
  • blur obsoleteTo smear, stain or smudge.
  • file archaicTo defile.
  • foil obsoleteTo defile; to soil.
  • sowl obsoleteTo soil or stain; to dirty.
  • uggle UK, dialectalTo make dirty.

verbTo be extinguished or deprived of vitality, to die.

Meaning of darken

  1. verb To make dark or darker by reducing light.
  2. verb To become dark or darker (having less light).
  3. verb To get dark (referring to the sky, either in the evening or as a result of cloud).

Full definition of darken

darken in other languages

Questions about synonyms of darken

What is another word for darken?
Darken has 120 synonyms on Word.ws, such as blacken and swarten.
What does darken mean?
Darken means to make dark or darker by reducing light.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: darken (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “Synonyms of darken.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/darken. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.