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
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
In Pacific Palisades, Altadena, and Malibu, history burned and blackened the sky.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2025
Our giant tree still stands upright but charred and blackened.
—Ed Massey, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Jan. 2025
Twelve days later, the ambulance was discovered, blackened and destroyed.
—Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 30 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for blacken
Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 5 Feb. 2025
In Pacific Palisades, Altadena, and Malibu, history burned and blackened the sky.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2025
Our giant tree still stands upright but charred and blackened.
—Ed Massey, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Jan. 2025
Twelve days later, the ambulance was discovered, blackened and destroyed.
—Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 30 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for blacken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blacken
Verb
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Basically, color bleeding is when the dye of clothes seeps into the water during a wash cycles and stains other clothes in the load.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
25 Feb. 2025
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Headless mannequins wearing the shirts of Marlon, William and Matheus Pereira — stained in red to resemble blood — were hung days after Cruzeiro’s penalty defeat to America MG in the Campeonato Mineiro semi-finals.—
Colin Millar,
The Athletic,
25 Feb. 2025
Verb
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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
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Though he was not named in the ad, Mr. Sullivan asserted he had been personally libeled by The Times and four Black ministers who were signed to the ad.—
David W. Dunlap,
New York Times,
22 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The clouds are still in sunlight while the ground is darkening after the Sun sets.—
Eric Berger,
Ars Technica,
12 Feb. 2025
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The ice sheet has thinned and darkened since the early 1990’s, especially around its edges….—
Rob Crossan,
JSTOR Daily,
10 Feb. 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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Soap removes sticky spills, smeared food or mud; bleach might take out the stains left once the crud is gone.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Feb. 2025
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Their guests could smear the caviar on tater tots and chicken tenders.—
Valeriya Safronova,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
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There is also no record of its business name on a database of online companies and its website is registered to a private domain in Holland, obscuring its true origin.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
15 Feb. 2025
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Bouchard is the owner of a leisurely pace of play and that can sometimes obscure his contributions to winning games.—
Allan Mitchell,
The Athletic,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
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With her buzz cut and Bikini Kill T-shirt, Brie Larson’s Elektra is presented as a rebel, a provocateur, and the kind of obsessively angry soul who might well carry her microphone around town in order to besmirch her mother and berate the world.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
6 Feb. 2025
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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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In one sentence, Hegseth turned a conflict, in which Moscow had been roundly diminished and humiliated for three years, into the chaotic re-ordering of continental security, in which Moscow may somehow dominate to its west.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN,
24 Feb. 2025
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Zachary Basu Feb 15, 2025 - Politics & Policy Trump strangles Europe President Trump stunned, strangled and humiliated Europe — leaving America's closest continental ally dazed and dumbfounded.—
Courtenay Brown,
Axios,
18 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to blacken
Cite this Entry
“Blacken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blacken. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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