blacken

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verb black·en \ˈbla-kən\

: to make something dark or black or to become dark or black

: to hurt the reputation of (someone or something)

black·enedblack·en·ing \ˈblak-niŋ, ˈbla-kə-\

Full Definition of BLACKEN

intransitive verb

:  to become dark or black <the sky blackens>

transitive verb

1

:  to make black

2

:  defame, sully <blackened her reputation>

— black·en·er \ˈblak-nər, ˈbla-kə-\ noun

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Examples of BLACKEN

1. Fire had blackened the field.
2. The sky blackened as the storm approached.
3. Their false accusations failed to blacken my reputation.
4. a presidency blackened by scandal

First Known Use of BLACKEN

14th century

Related to BLACKEN

Synonyms

befoul, begrime, bemire, besmirch, dirty, daub, distain [archaic], foul, gaum [dialect], grime, mire, muck, muddy, smirch, smudge, soil, stain, sully

Antonyms

clean, cleanse

Related Words

contaminate, defile, pollute, taint; discolor; confuse, disarrange, disarray, dishevel, disorder, draggle, jumble, mess, muddle; colly [chiefly British dialect], crock [dialect]

Near Antonyms

decontaminate, purge, purify; disinfect, sanitize; brush, dry-clean, dust, launder, mop, rinse, scour, scrub, sweep, wash, wipe; brighten, deodorize, freshen, renew, spruce (up); straighten (up), tidy (up)

Rhymes with BLACKEN

bracken, flacon, slacken