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 of blacken

• stain
• dirty
• besmirch
• 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

According to Applebee's website, current menu items include bourbon street chicken and shrimp, hot honey glazed chicken and blackened Cajun salmon. —Cathy Kozlowicz, jsonline.com, 10 Dec. 2025

It may be considered a sin to eat at The Dock without trying the fish tacos, which are served blackened, grilled, or fried—they're then topped with pico de gallo, red cabbage, cotija cheese, baja sauce, and esquites (Mexican street corn). —Megan Margulies, Travel + Leisure, 9 Dec. 2025

The doors were all blackened down. —Aaron Parseghian, CBS News, 8 Dec. 2025

Fish and shrimp tacos can be grilled, blackened, or fried. —Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 6 Dec. 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