1
as in to stain
to make dirty
blackened the towels with their dirty hands
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of blacken
The mains are just as exciting, with dishes like Thai basil yellowfin tuna and blackened redfish on offer.
—
Amanda Ogle, Travel + Leisure, 24 Apr. 2025
One time, alone in a lean-to of sticks in Florida, something huge blackened the night nearby.
—Blair Braverman, Outside Online, 17 Apr. 2025
Singh’s face looked swollen and one of his eyes blackened.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2025
The county is still healing from the scars of 2021’s Caldor Fire, the inferno that blackened more than 221,000 acres and was fed by decades of dry timber and brush that hadn’t seen fire activity since the Second World War.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for blacken
Amanda Ogle, Travel + Leisure, 24 Apr. 2025
One time, alone in a lean-to of sticks in Florida, something huge blackened the night nearby.
—Blair Braverman, Outside Online, 17 Apr. 2025
Singh’s face looked swollen and one of his eyes blackened.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2025
The county is still healing from the scars of 2021’s Caldor Fire, the inferno that blackened more than 221,000 acres and was fed by decades of dry timber and brush that hadn’t seen fire activity since the Second World War.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for blacken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blacken
Verb
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Plus, the matte, two-tone color scheme helps resist staining, maintaining the spoons' stylish appeal over time.—
Toby Rose,
Parents,
22 May 2025
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Then, once completed, pasting begins, where mud from the henna plant is placed atop the area to stain.—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
22 May 2025
Verb
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In 2022, Manhattan Federal Judge Jed Rakoff, who presided over both trials, decided The Times was not liable for defamation while jurors were deliberating, that the error amounted to unfortunate editorializing but not libel.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2025
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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
Verb
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Taking stock of the darkening afternoon sky from the rooftop of Netflix HQ in the Flatiron District, the actress was optimistic that the weather might delay her flight and give her extra time to unwind in the city.—
Kristen Tauer,
Footwear News,
22 May 2025
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Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5 goes well beyond just the darkening reality in America.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
17 May 2025
Verb
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Crème Brûlée Steve Granitz Crème brûlée is like butter blonde, but dirtied up a bit for a browned, warm tint.—
Audrey Noble,
Vogue,
2 May 2025
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He’s come through with timely hits, dirtied his uniform on the bases and made an impact with his arm in the outfield.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Also, faint objects appear even fainter because their light is smeared out.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
15 May 2025
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Smartmatic wants an even bigger payday than Dominion Voting Systems, which was similarly smeared by Fox News and settled a defamation lawsuit with the network in 2023 for a whopping $787 million.—
Marshall Cohen,
CNN Money,
14 May 2025
Verb
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Elite’s arrangement with Prime, as a private corporation, obscures details of how millions of its public school dollars are ultimately spent.—
Kristen Taketa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 May 2025
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The simple stories of great inventors obscure the fact that technological innovations often have many parents.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
18 May 2025
Verb
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Their reputations were besmirched.—
The Editors,
National Review,
17 Dec. 2024
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Images illustrating the reality versus carefully edited Instagram selfies have somewhat besmirched Santorini’s romantic reputation of late.—
Helen Iatrou,
AFAR Media,
16 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Simone Inzaghi really needs the win here — his Italian side finished one point behind Serie A champ Napoli and was humiliated by rival AC Milan in the Coppa Italia semifinal.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
31 May 2025
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And after Trump’s attempts to humiliate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office, the lure of the White House is waning.—
Stephen Collinson,
CNN Money,
31 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Blacken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blacken. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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