Synonyms and Antonyms of blacken
1
to make dirty
- blackened the towels with their dirty hands
befoul, begrime, bemire, besmirch, daub, dirty, distain [archaic], foul, gaum [dialect], grime, mire, muck, muddy, smirch, smudge, soil, stain, sully
contaminate, defile, pollute, taint
discolor
confuse, disarrange, disarray, dishevel, disorder, draggle, jumble, mess, muddle
colly [chiefly British dialect], crock [dialect]
decontaminate, purge, purify
disinfect, sanitize
brush, dry-clean, dust, launder, mop, rinse, scour, scrub, sweep, wash, wipe
brighten, deodorize, freshen, renew, spruce (up)
straighten (up), tidy (up)
2
to make untrue and harmful statements about
- the politician maliciously blackened his opponent's reputation
belittle, denigrate, detract, disparage
discredit, disgrace, dishonor, shame
abase, debase, degrade, humble, humiliate
disdain, scorn
exalt, glorify, honor
acclaim, applaud, commend, praise
esteem, respect
admire, regard
adore, revere, venerate, worship
3
to make dark, dim, or indistinct
- thick smoke from the forest fires blackened the sky for many miles
becloud, bedim, befog, blear, blur, cloud, darken, dim, dislimn, fog, fuzz (up), haze, mist, obscure, overcast, overcloud, overshadow, shadow, shroud
adumbrate, blot out, conceal, eclipse, hide, obliterate, screen, shade
camouflage, cloak, cover, curtain, disguise, mask, veil
4
to grow dark
- the auditorium blackened suddenly, and a spotlighted performer appeared alone on stage
