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

In all, more than 8,000 California wildfires blackened 525,223 acres, killed 31 people and burned 16,512 structures in the past year, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. —Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 8 Jan. 2026

Juicy, whole lobster served grilled or blackened is best, though the menu at this famous haunt features every possible elaboration of the dish. —Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 7 Jan. 2026

According to Applebee's website, menu items include bourbon street chicken and shrimp, hot honey glazed chicken and blackened Cajun salmon. —Cathy Kozlowicz, jsonline.com, 19 Dec. 2025

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