blacken

verb

black·​en ˈbla-kən 

blackened; blackening

ˈblak-niŋ,

ˈbla-kə- 

intransitive verb

: to become dark or black

the sky blackens

transitive verb

1

: to make black

2

: defame, sully

blackened her reputation

blackener

ˈblak-nər

ˈbla-kə- 

noun

Synonyms

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

Examples of blacken in a Sentence

Fire had blackened the field.

The sky blackened as the storm approached.

Their false accusations failed to blacken my reputation.

a presidency blackened by scandal

Recent Examples on the Web

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

Word History

Etymology

Middle English blaknen, blakenen, from blak black entry 1 + -n, -en -en entry 2

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for blacken

• bracken
• lakin
• slacken

Kids Definition

blacken

verb

black·​en ˈblak-ən 

blackened; blackening ˈblak-(ə-)niŋ 

1

: to make or become dark or black

2

: to hurt the reputation of

blackener

-(ə-)nər 

noun