Darkened

Darkened is the past participle of the verb darken and also serves as an adjective. It describes something that has been made darker or has become darker, either through action or a change in lighting or atmosphere. In everyday use, it often refers to physical light levels—such as a room darkened by thick curtains, darkened windows after a storm, or a lens that has been darkened by a filter. It can also describe moods, tones, or colors, for example a darkened mood in response to troubling news or a painting with darkened, moody hues.

In grammar, darkened commonly appears in passive constructions (The room was darkened by the curtain) and as an attributive or predicative adjective (a darkened room; the sky darkened). It is distinct from dimmed, which emphasizes user-intentional light reduction, whereas darkened can imply both intentional or natural reduction.

Etymology traces darkened to the adjective dark plus the suffix -en, forming a regular verb that means to cause to become dark. The sense of the word spans physical illumination, atmospheric conditions, and metaphorical shading.

See also: dark, darkness, dim, dimming, shading. Usage notes: while often interchangeable with “darkened” in describing reduced light, “dimmed” suggests prepared or chosen lowering of brightness, whereas “darkened” carries a broader range of causes and results.