1
as in to stain
to make dirty
blackened the towels with their dirty hands
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to libel
to make untrue and harmful statements about
the politician maliciously blackened his opponent's reputation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to darken
to make dark, dim, or indistinct
thick smoke from the forest fires blackened the sky for many miles
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of blacken
Historians will see the fires that blackened much of Los Angeles this year as one of the state’s most significant events and how recovery is managed, or mismanaged, will be legend.
—
Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2025
The Silverado fire broke out on Oct. 26, 2020, near Santiago and Silverado canyon roads and blackened about 12,400 acres.
—City News Service, Orange County Register, 11 Feb. 2025
Get The Recipe 14 of 25 Bronzed Redfish Bronzed is a play on blackened, a technique used to crust an ingredient, like this fish, in flavorful spices and deeply toast it until black.
—Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 3 Feb. 2025
The brush fire blackened about 100 square feet before being extinguished by firefighters, deputies said in the news release.
—Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 5 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for blacken
Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2025
The Silverado fire broke out on Oct. 26, 2020, near Santiago and Silverado canyon roads and blackened about 12,400 acres.
—City News Service, Orange County Register, 11 Feb. 2025
Get The Recipe 14 of 25 Bronzed Redfish Bronzed is a play on blackened, a technique used to crust an ingredient, like this fish, in flavorful spices and deeply toast it until black.
—Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 3 Feb. 2025
The brush fire blackened about 100 square feet before being extinguished by firefighters, deputies said in the news release.
—Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 5 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for blacken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blacken
Verb
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Its players are turncoats whose legacies are forever stained.—
Greg Cote,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2025
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Be careful and don’t use it every wash because these products can stain your hair with a pink or lavender tint.—
Jennifer Hussein,
Allure,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
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As a new, inexpensive Chevrolet appeared in 1927 and The Dearborn Independent was sued for libeling a number of Jewish businessmen, Ford threw in the towel and apologized.—
George Pendle,
airmail.news,
15 Mar. 2025
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Wright got so big on social media even Piers Morgan invited her to libel Jay Z and Beyonce on his platform.—
Rob Marriott,
VIBE.com,
30 Dec. 2024
Verb
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And for the last 10 pages, Newport-Berra would darken the image to cheat the sun-setting and early evening.—
Chris O'Falt,
IndieWire,
28 Mar. 2025
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Yuki Iwamura | Bloomberg | Getty Images Taken from CNBC’s Daily Open, our international markets newsletter — Subscribe today The shadow of a U.S. recession is growing longer and darkening the outlook for both consumers and CFOs alike, according to various surveys tracking sentiment in March.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Grease dirtied the handles of the ovens, the microwave ovens and the coolers.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
14 Feb. 2025
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Instead of dirtying a larger pot for your supporting dishes, this quaint cooker will come in handy for quick (or slower simmering) concoctions while matching your kitchen atmosphere.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Martin and a companion on April 27, 2023, entered the Washington, DC, museum and smeared washable red and black paint on the case protecting Edgar Degas’s 1881 Little Dancer Aged Fourteen in an effort to bring attention to the climate crisis.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
9 Apr. 2025
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Timothy Martin smeared red and black paint on a case shielding a nearly 150-year-old sculpture by Edgar Degas, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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In the first, the sheepdog appears engulfed by a thick coat of long white fur, his face nearly obscured by the shaggy mass.—
John W. Dean,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Apr. 2025
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In one interview after the next, people asked us to obscure their full names or not record at all.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Failing to do so would besmirch Puntland’s reputation as a bastion of stability within a troubled country.—
Vanda Felbab-Brown,
Foreign Affairs,
15 June 2017
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Other attempts to besmirch her also fell short — as in the 2024 election, when former Sen. Randolph Bracy launched an ugly attempt to oust her from the District 15 Senate seat.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
Orlando Sentinel,
25 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Trump World even humiliated Abe by letting it be known that Abe had nominated the U.S. leader for a Nobel Peace Prize.—
William Pesek,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
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The temptation for Russia to humiliate London and Paris - by breaking any ceasefire with an attack carried out hundreds of miles away from British and French troops stuck in the capital - could prove hard to resist.—
Andrew Carey,
CNN Money,
28 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Blacken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blacken. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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