1
as in to stain
to make dirty
blackened the towels with their dirty hands
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to libel
to make untrue and harmful statements about
the politician maliciously blackened his opponent's reputation
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of blacken
Each footstep sent up clouds of dust and ash, coating everything, including my mouth and teeth, in fine grit, blackening my snot and saliva.
—
River Selby
august 25, Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2025
Moss Inspired by the fall manicure looks at Ferragamo’s Fall 2025 show, Queenie Nguyen says a mossy, blackened green with velvet finish is the perfect mani for when the weather cools.
—Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 11 Aug. 2025
Burning along the San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara County line, the sprawling wildfire had blackened a total of 96,106 acres as of Thursday morning, InciWeb reported.
—Hannah Poukish, Sacbee.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Their hair was rising upwards, and they were covered with blood and dirt, and they were burned and blackened and swollen.
—Stephen Herzog, The Conversation, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for blacken
River Selby
august 25, Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2025
Moss Inspired by the fall manicure looks at Ferragamo’s Fall 2025 show, Queenie Nguyen says a mossy, blackened green with velvet finish is the perfect mani for when the weather cools.
—Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 11 Aug. 2025
Burning along the San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara County line, the sprawling wildfire had blackened a total of 96,106 acres as of Thursday morning, InciWeb reported.
—Hannah Poukish, Sacbee.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Their hair was rising upwards, and they were covered with blood and dirt, and they were burned and blackened and swollen.
—Stephen Herzog, The Conversation, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for blacken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blacken
Verb
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Any home cleaning product can cause staining and shrinking.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
6 Sep. 2025
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Address any spills in your sink right away to reduce the opportunity for staining.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 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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Thunder crackled and skies darkened in Mooresville.—
Joe Marusak,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Sep. 2025
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Please note that leather conditioner does darken the color of the leather.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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Some were prosthetic buttocks, but others were people’s own buttocks, but in various states, like dirtied down and with partial covering.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
1 July 2025
Verb
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Rubbing will smear the mud and cause a bigger problem.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
6 Sep. 2025
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Jason’s windshield was smeared, and the late-afternoon sunlight came through hazily.—
Akhil Sharma,
New Yorker,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Senate Bill 627, for example, would prohibit law enforcement agents from covering their faces to obscure their identity, carving out exceptions for SWAT teams and undercover officers.—
Barnini Chakraborty,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Sep. 2025
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In those interviews, the faces of victims were obscured to protect their identities.—
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The rules around grand jury secrecy shouldn’t be broken and care must be taken about revealing the identities of victims and besmirching the reputations of people mentioned incidentally in the vast investigative materials.—
The Editors,
National Review,
16 July 2025
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Other attempts to besmirch her also fell short — as in the 2024 election, when former Sen. Randolph Bracy launched an ugly attempt to oust her from the District 15 Senate seat.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
Orlando Sentinel,
25 Feb. 2025
Verb
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And Sacks, a PayPal Mafia member and veteran Silicon Valley investor, is just the sort of titan of industry this town routinely devours and humiliates — from Rex Tillerson to, well, Elon Musk.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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And whether the Carolina Panthers are just stuck in an endless loop of embarrassment, one that alternately humiliates and enrages their fans.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Blacken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blacken. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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