darken

dark·en

D0029700 (där′kən)v. dark·ened, dark·en·ing, dark·ens v.tr.1. a. To make dark or darker.b. To give a darker hue to.2. To fill with sadness; make gloomy.3. To render vague or uncertain; obscure: The sudden drop in stock prices darkened the future for investors.4. To tarnish or stain: a scandal that darkened the family's good name.v.intr. To become dark or darker.

dark′en·er n.

darken

(ˈdɑːkən) vb1. to make or become dark or darker2. to make or become gloomy, angry, or sad: his mood darkened. 3. darken someone's door (usually used with a negative) to visit someone: never darken my door again!. ˈdarkener n

dark•en

(ˈdɑr kən)

v.t., v.i. 1. to make or become dark or darker. 2. to make or become obscure. 3. to make or become less white or clear in color. 4. to make or become gloomy; sadden or dampen. 5. to make or become clouded, furrowed, etc., as with worry or anger. [1250–1300] dark′en•er, n.

darken

Past participle: darkened
Gerund: darkening

Imperative
darken
darken

Present
I darken
you darken
he/she/it darkens
we darken
you darken
they darken

Preterite
I darkened
you darkened
he/she/it darkened
we darkened
you darkened
they darkened

Present Continuous
I am darkening
you are darkening
he/she/it is darkening
we are darkening
you are darkening
they are darkening

Present Perfect
I have darkened
you have darkened
he/she/it has darkened
we have darkened
you have darkened
they have darkened

Past Continuous
I was darkening
you were darkening
he/she/it was darkening
we were darkening
you were darkening
they were darkening

Past Perfect
I had darkened
you had darkened
he/she/it had darkened
we had darkened
you had darkened
they had darkened

Future
I will darken
you will darken
he/she/it will darken
we will darken
you will darken
they will darken

Future Perfect
I will have darkened
you will have darkened
he/she/it will have darkened
we will have darkened
you will have darkened
they will have darkened

Future Continuous
I will be darkening
you will be darkening
he/she/it will be darkening
we will be darkening
you will be darkening
they will be darkening

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been darkening
you have been darkening
he/she/it has been darkening
we have been darkening
you have been darkening
they have been darkening

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been darkening
you will have been darkening
he/she/it will have been darkening
we will have been darkening
you will have been darkening
they will have been darkening

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been darkening
you had been darkening
he/she/it had been darkening
we had been darkening
you had been darkening
they had been darkening

Conditional
I would darken
you would darken
he/she/it would darken
we would darken
you would darken
they would darken

Past Conditional
I would have darkened
you would have darkened
he/she/it would have darkened
we would have darkened
you would have darkened
they would have darkened

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	darken - become dark or darker; "The sky darkened"change - undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature; "She changed completely as she grew older"; "The weather changed last night"dusk - become duskblacken out, black out - darken completely; "The dining room blackened out"cloud over, cloud up, overcloud - become covered with clouds; "The sky clouded over"lighten up, lighten - become lighter; "The room lightened up"
	2.	darken - tarnish or stain; "a scandal that darkened the family's good name"maculate, tarnish, defile, sully, stain - make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically; "The silver was tarnished by the long exposure to the air"; "Her reputation was sullied after the affair with a married man"
	3.	darken - make dark or darker; "darken a room"alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue"embrown - cause to darkenmurk - make dark, dim, or gloomydun - make a dun colorblind, dim - make dim by comparison or concealdim - make dim or lusterless; "Time had dimmed the silver"bedim, benight - make darker and difficult to perceive by sightshade, shade off, shadow - cast a shadow overcloud, overcast - make overcast or cloudy; "Fall weather often overcasts our beaches"brighten, lighten up, lighten - make lighter or brighter; "The paint will brighten the room"

darken

verb1. cloud, shadow, shade, obscure, eclipse, dim, deepen, overshadow, blacken, becloud A storm darkened the sky.
cloud shine, glow, illuminate, gleam, light up, clear up, brighten, lighten, enliven, make bright2. make dark, shade, blacken, make darker, deepen She darkened her eyebrows with mascara.3. become gloomy, blacken, become angry, look black, go crook (Austral. & N.Z. slang), grow troubled His face suddenly darkened.
become gloomy encourage, cheer, hearten, perk up, gladden, make happy, become cheerful4. sadden, upset, cloud, blacken, cast a pall over, cast a gloom upon Nothing was going to darken his mood today.

darken

verbTo make dark or darker:adumbrate, shade, shadow.

Translations

使变暗

dark

(daːk) adjective1. without light. a dark room; It's getting dark; the dark (= not cheerful) side.黑暗的2. blackish or closer to black than white. a dark red colour; a dark (= not very white or fair) complexion; Her hair is dark. 黑色的，深色的 3. evil and usually secret. dark deeds; a dark secret.隐秘的 noun absence of light. in the dark; afraid of the dark; He never goes out after dark; We are in the dark (= we have no knowledge) about what is happening.黑暗ˈdarken verb to make or become dark or darker. 使变暗ˈdarkness noun the state of being dark. 黑暗keep it dark to keep something a secret. They're engaged to be married but they want to keep it dark.保守秘密

darken

darken a church door

To attend church or a service therein. I was raised Catholic, but I haven't darkened a church door since I was 15 years old.See also: church, darken, door

darken (one's) door

To come to one's home as an unwelcome visitor. I made sure he'll never dark our door again.See also: darken, door

never darken (one's) door again

To never return to one's home. Used when referring to an unwelcome visitor. Don't worry, I've made sure that he'll never darken our door again.See also: again, darken, door, never

never darken (one's) doorstep again

To never return to one's home. Used when referring to an unwelcome visitor. Don't worry, I've made sure that he'll never darken our doorstep again.See also: again, darken, doorstep, never

never darken (one's) doorway again

To never return to one's home. Used when referring to an unwelcome visitor. Don't worry, I've made sure that he'll never darken our doorway again.See also: again, darken, never

not darken the doorstep of (some place)

To not go or never return to some place. I heard the Justice Department is dropping the case, so it looks like he won't darken the doorstep of the courthouse anytime soon. I haven't darkened the doorstep of a church since I was 10 years old.See also: darken, doorstep, not, of

not darken the door of (some place)

To not go or never return to some place. I heard the Justice Department is dropping the case, so it looks like he won't darken the door of the courthouse anytime soon. I haven't darkened the door of a church since I was 10 years old.See also: darken, door, not, of

not darken (one's) door again

To never return to one's home. Used when referring to an unwelcome visitor. Don't worry, I've made sure that he won't darken our door again.See also: again, darken, door, not

darken someone's door

Fig. [for an unwelcome person] to come to someone's door seeking entry. (As if the visitor were casting a shadow on the door. Formal, or even jocular.) Who is this who has come to darken my door? She pointed to the street and said, "Go and never darken my door again!"See also: darken, door

darken someone's door

Come unwanted to someone's home, as in I told him to get out and never darken my door again. The verb darken here refers to casting one's shadow across the threshold, a word that occasionally was substituted for door. As an imperative, the expression is associated with Victorian melodrama, where someone (usually a young woman or man) is thrown out of the parental home for some misdeed, but it is actually much older. Benjamin Franklin used it in The Busybody (1729): "I am afraid she would resent it so as never to darken my doors again." See also: darken, door

never darken someone's door

never darken someone's doorstep

OLD-FASHIONEDIf someone tells you never to darken their door again or never to darken their doorstep again, they are ordering you never to visit them again. The law firm told them to destroy all dossiers and never darken their doorstep again.See also: darken, door, never

not darken somewhere's door

not darken somewhere's doorstep

OLD-FASHIONEDIf someone never goes to a place, you can say that they do not darken its door or do not darken its doorstep. He had not darkened the door of a church for a long time. Plenty more cases never darken the doorstep of a courthouse. Note: The image here is of someone's dark shadow falling across the door. See also: darken, door, not

never darken someone's door (or doorstep)

keep away from someone's home permanently. 1988 Salman Rushdie The Satanic Verses They couldn't lock her away in any old folks' home, sent her whole family packing when they dared to suggest it, never darken her doorstep, she told them, cut the whole lot off without a penny or a by your leave. See also: darken, door, never

not/never darken somebody’s ˌdoor aˈgain

(old-fashioned or humorous) not/never come to somebody’s home again because you are not welcome: Go! And never darken my door again!See also: again, darken, door, never, not

darken my door (again), don't/never

Go away and don’t come back. This expression, today indelibly affixed to Victorian melodrama in which a young woman is thrown out of the parental home for marrying, not marrying, or some other sinful deed, actually dates back much further. The darkening involved is that of one’s shadow across the threshold, a word occasionally substituted for “door.” Jonathan Swift used the term in Polite Conversation in 1738: “I never darkened his door in my life.” It has been a cliché since the nineteenth century, but may be dying out.See also: darken, door, never

darken

verb

Synonyms for darken

verb cloud

Synonyms

cloud
shadow
shade
obscure
eclipse
dim
deepen
overshadow
blacken
becloud

Antonyms

shine
glow
illuminate
gleam
light up
clear up
brighten
lighten
enliven
make bright

verb make dark

Synonyms

make dark
shade
blacken
make darker
deepen

verb become gloomy

Synonyms

become gloomy
blacken
become angry
look black
go crook
grow troubled

Antonyms

encourage
cheer
hearten
perk up
gladden
make happy
become cheerful

verb sadden

Synonyms

sadden
upset
cloud
blacken
cast a pall over
cast a gloom upon

Synonyms for darken

verb to make dark or darker

Synonyms

adumbrate
shade
shadow

Antonyms for darken

verb become dark or darker

Related Words

change
dusk
blacken out
black out
cloud over
cloud up
overcloud

Antonyms

lighten up
lighten

verb tarnish or stain

Related Words

maculate
tarnish
defile
sully
stain

verb make dark or darker

Related Words

alter
change
modify
embrown
murk
dun
blind
dim
bedim
benight
shade
shade off
shadow
cloud
overcast

Antonyms

brighten
lighten up
lighten