1
as in to stain
to make dirty
blackened the towels with their dirty hands
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to libel
to make untrue and harmful statements about
the politician maliciously blackened his opponent's reputation
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of blacken
Trader Joe’s Cajun style blackened chicken breast fettuccine alfredo is also on the list but only affects four states – Texas not included.
—
Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Oct. 2025
Recalled Trader Joe's pasta sold in Arizona The CDC said listeria contaminated products sold at Trader Joe's were the store's Trader Joe’s Cajun style blackened chicken breast fettucine alfredo, contained in a plastic tray.
—Rey Covarrubias Jr, AZCentral.com, 2 Oct. 2025
The bronze had blackened and grown florid with green and white spots.
—Dana Goodyear, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
The menu is global and playful, yet reliable, with some classic North American restaurant staples (hummus, $21, fish tacos, $23 for two, and Cajun blackened chicken, $39) and some Asian and Latin American inspired dishes (sake glazed Chilean seabass, $51, truffle udon carbonara, $27).
—Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for blacken
Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Oct. 2025
Recalled Trader Joe's pasta sold in Arizona The CDC said listeria contaminated products sold at Trader Joe's were the store's Trader Joe’s Cajun style blackened chicken breast fettucine alfredo, contained in a plastic tray.
—Rey Covarrubias Jr, AZCentral.com, 2 Oct. 2025
The bronze had blackened and grown florid with green and white spots.
—Dana Goodyear, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
The menu is global and playful, yet reliable, with some classic North American restaurant staples (hummus, $21, fish tacos, $23 for two, and Cajun blackened chicken, $39) and some Asian and Latin American inspired dishes (sake glazed Chilean seabass, $51, truffle udon carbonara, $27).
—Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for blacken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blacken
Verb
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Drone footage shows eight officers approach a motionless Green who appeared slumped over with a large pool of blood staining the driveway.—
Perry Vandell,
AZCentral.com,
25 Oct. 2025
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Foods like coffee, red wine, fruit and vegetable juices, grease and oils, tea, tomato sauce, and spices like turmeric and curry can stain, as well as ink, markers, and some cleaning chemicals.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In 2022, Manhattan Federal Judge Jed Rakoff, who presided over both trials, decided The Times was not liable for defamation while jurors were deliberating, that the error amounted to unfortunate editorializing but not libel.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2025
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As a new, inexpensive Chevrolet appeared in 1927 and The Dearborn Independent was sued for libeling a number of Jewish businessmen, Ford threw in the towel and apologized.—
George Pendle,
airmail.news,
15 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The cake will darken up quite a bit on top.—
Kathryn Gregory,
Louisville Courier Journal,
21 Oct. 2025
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Stir in tomato paste and cook until darkened, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes.—
Ann Taylor Pittman,
Southern Living,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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At Dilara Findikoglu, models looked like ladies in waiting that had risen from the dead; wearing antiquated corsetry that was dirtied and torn.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
23 Sep. 2025
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As more success suddenly comes his way, McKinstry has remained the same, friendly and chuckling at his locker, dirtying his jersey and pestering opponents on the field.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
10 July 2025
Verb
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Robert returns to his desk only to find that Invisigal had stolen him a donut as a gesture of good faith, which is now smeared all over his keyboard for the new janitor, Water Boy, to clean by vomiting H20 on the mess.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
22 Oct. 2025
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Supervisor Kate Brophy McGee said the audit was purposefully designed to smear the Sheriff's Office.—
Richard Ruelas,
AZCentral.com,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Traditional narratives obscure the role slavery might have played in Texas’ drive for independence and portray the Alamo’s defenders as freedom fighters.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
25 Oct. 2025
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Breaking up or obscuring the reflection makes the glass visible to birds, preventing them from hitting your windows.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Famously, the British press conspired to draw the dramatist’s name through the mud, besmirching his literary legacy for generations to follow.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
20 Oct. 2025
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Conservative leaders and administrations have besmirched the rule of law in the Republic's gravest scandals; Teapot Dome under Harding, Watergate under Nixon, Iran–Contra under Reagan, and multiple scandals in the Trump era.—
Allan J. Lichtman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Pressing for payment could humiliate people, who often arrive with their extended families, Parmar explained, and in a community this close-knit, that could mean losing dozens of patients, including many of the Medicaid patients who keep the clinic afloat.—
Helen Ouyang,
The Atlantic,
21 Oct. 2025
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By the time the cameras stopped clicking and the newsmen flew home, Kentucky had been humiliated in the national press, the onlooker’s violence both disputed and affirmed in accounts of this day.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Blacken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blacken. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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