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
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of blacken
Flames were not visible from the camera, but swathes of blackened, scorched land were shown.
—
Katie Langford, The Denver Post, 12 Sep. 2024
People sit around on the sand, with an area of the ground appearing blackened.
—Catherine Nicholls, CNN, 3 Aug. 2024
The fire burned out of control for several hours, blackening about 500 acres.
—Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2024
Her natural hair had been dyed with henna and juniper, while the long wig had been treated with quartz, magnetite, and albite crystals to stiffen the braids and blacken the color.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 1 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for blacken 
Katie Langford, The Denver Post, 12 Sep. 2024
People sit around on the sand, with an area of the ground appearing blackened.
—Catherine Nicholls, CNN, 3 Aug. 2024
The fire burned out of control for several hours, blackening about 500 acres.
—Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2024
Her natural hair had been dyed with henna and juniper, while the long wig had been treated with quartz, magnetite, and albite crystals to stiffen the braids and blacken the color.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 1 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for blacken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blacken
Verb
-
Sometimes, traffickers stain ivory to look like wood or coat it in chocolate to make it through inspections.Ashley Strickland, CNN, 2 Nov. 2024
-
A number of the belongings appeared to be stained with blood.Tim Madigan, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024
Verb
-
Angered by both the initial post and the follow-up, Mann filed a lawsuit against National Review in October of 2012, claiming that both Steyn and Lowry had not only libeled him, but were guilty of the intentional infliction of emotional distress.The Editors, National Review, 13 Mar. 2024
-
This quickly arose this question: What happens when somebody libels somebody in an online forum?The Politics Of Everything, The New Republic, 10 May 2023
Verb
-
The experience of being a Black foreigner in a country governed by its racial gradients darkened his view of Kenya.Alexis Okeowo, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2024
-
If artificial intelligence could be used to brighten a person’s mood, it could probably be used for darkening a person’s personality, too.Lizz Schumer, People.com, 29 Oct. 2024
Verb
-
Instead, Walz seems to have little to say about factory farming dirtying the state’s waterways.Kenny Torrella, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
-
Garments can be dirtied again by the elements if air-dried outside.Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 July 2024
Verb
-
Lila’s makeup is smeared all over her face; the windows of the apartment are wide open, the wind rattling the empty rooms.Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2024
-
Rubbing will smear the mud and cause a bigger problem.Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 28 Oct. 2024
Verb
-
But this focus on labor obscures the fact that slavery also represented enormous wealth that was extraordinarily liquid: an enslaved person represented cash that could be forced to work, forced to breed, forced to relocate.Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 3 Nov. 2024
-
The crowd trickled back to their cars, deep time obscured by darkness.Lane Sainty, The Arizona Republic, 3 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
There’s a new promo picture going around showing a Dusty Milligan with facial hair (see: above) — and listen, not to besmirch his infinity-pool jawline, but the dude looks so much better with that scruff.Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
-
The Jefferson Council, a conservative alumni group, had been calling for an end or change to the tour program, insisting that volunteers had been wrongly besmirching the legacy of UVA's founder.David K. Li, NBC News, 30 Aug. 2024
Verb
-
Then, last year, the 49ers humiliated Dallas by the score of 42-10 at home.Vincent Frank, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
-
Shaking down Bodhi, killing some bikers, jokingly humiliating his ex-girlfriend on the witness stand — less than ideal, but nothing you’re not supposed to be able to live with.Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2024
Articles Related to blacken
Thesaurus Entries Near blacken
Cite this Entry
“Blacken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blacken. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share