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
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of blacken
Nearly five years after a massive fire burned California’s oldest state park, Big Basin Redwoods, blackening groves of famous ancient redwoods and destroying all the campgrounds, the visitor center and other facilities, state parks officials have finalized a plan to rebuild.
—
Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 19 June 2025
Lightning had struck a single ponderosa pine, blackening its trunk.
—Literary Hub, 18 June 2025
The Howe fire, the larger blaze, had blackened about 40 acres and was burning in steep terrain south of the unincorporated town of Piru in the area around the Santa Clara River.
—Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2025
The chain featured pub grub including burgers, chicken wings, sushi, stone-crab chowder, salads, Philly cheesesteaks and blackened mahi mahi sandwiches, among other handhelds.
—Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for blacken
Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 19 June 2025
Lightning had struck a single ponderosa pine, blackening its trunk.
—Literary Hub, 18 June 2025
The Howe fire, the larger blaze, had blackened about 40 acres and was burning in steep terrain south of the unincorporated town of Piru in the area around the Santa Clara River.
—Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2025
The chain featured pub grub including burgers, chicken wings, sushi, stone-crab chowder, salads, Philly cheesesteaks and blackened mahi mahi sandwiches, among other handhelds.
—Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for blacken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blacken
Verb
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Police found items stained by blood in garbage bags in the living room closet.—
Kathryn Kovalenko,
Twin Cities,
9 July 2025
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The most basic method for cleaning the toilet is to use a stiff-bristle toilet brush to physically scrub away any mineral buildup, biofilm, or staining.—
Timothy Dale,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 July 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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But just as Covid restrictions were lifted, and people began again to mingle again in public, the general social atmosphere seemed to darken.—
Thomas Cangelosi,
Hartford Courant,
27 June 2025
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The glasses feature a 12MP stabilized camera, five mics, dual speakers, and electrochromic lenses that darken on demand.—
Charlie Fink,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
Verb
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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
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Crow-Armstrong has dirtied up the White Sox in six of those games, batting .458 with eight RBIs and a homer.—
Kalen Lumpkins,
Chicago Tribune,
27 June 2025
Verb
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Baldoni’s countersuit, accusing her of smearing him, was dismissed last week.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
19 June 2025
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In extreme cases, some parents will threaten to smear the therapist's name, leave bad reviews, complain to the licensing board, or even threaten the therapist’s physical safety.—
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
23 June 2025
Verb
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But this fake overlay simply obscures the app as it is being attacked in the background.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
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Solar flares and solar wind can disrupt Earth's atmosphere, creating disturbances that could obscure the comets and make the meteor showers harder to see.—
Brandi D. Addison,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
Verb
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Their reputations were besmirched.—
The Editors,
National Review,
17 Dec. 2024
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Images illustrating the reality versus carefully edited Instagram selfies have somewhat besmirched Santorini’s romantic reputation of late.—
Helen Iatrou,
AFAR Media,
16 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Then two of his classmates did something magical. 'And I was humiliated again' The story Griffin started to tell began in first grade just after his family moved from one part of his suburban New York town to another, and Griffin was the new kid in school.—
Brad Schmitt,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
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Why risk thousands of dollars to be humiliated and possibly denied entry?—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Blacken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blacken. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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