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
The Israeli strikes on oil facilities sparked massive pillars of fire and blackened the skies above Tehran.
—
Npr Staff, NPR, 11 Mar. 2026
Once a sky-blue democracy is restored, may Trump’s days of infamy be ruled illegitimate and his name and legacy duly tainted by all of history, darkly blackened or cautiously reddened in the honest records that this twerp and his twisted cohorts have conspired so heinously to whitewash.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2026
After Mitchell’s arrest, the sheriff’s department released a photo of him, handcuffed, his face still blackened.
—USA Today, 8 Mar. 2026
The Sepulveda Basin has seen numerous brush fires in recent years, with the most being the Burbank fire in August 2024, which blackened 75 acres of almost entirely invasive, nonnative plants.
—Daily News, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for blacken
Npr Staff, NPR, 11 Mar. 2026
Once a sky-blue democracy is restored, may Trump’s days of infamy be ruled illegitimate and his name and legacy duly tainted by all of history, darkly blackened or cautiously reddened in the honest records that this twerp and his twisted cohorts have conspired so heinously to whitewash.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2026
After Mitchell’s arrest, the sheriff’s department released a photo of him, handcuffed, his face still blackened.
—USA Today, 8 Mar. 2026
The Sepulveda Basin has seen numerous brush fires in recent years, with the most being the Burbank fire in August 2024, which blackened 75 acres of almost entirely invasive, nonnative plants.
—Daily News, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for blacken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blacken
Verb
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Additional surveillance footage showed Marcelin in his building's laundry room cleaning a kitchen mat that appears stained with blood, according to prosecutors.—
Ben Brachfeld,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
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One of them, Amy, a blond child with limp ponytails and a thin dress that looks like it might have been stained, stands outside a porch door, her fists balled up, mouth open, angry or unhappy or both.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
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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Sprinkle with flour; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant and flour has darkened in color, 1 to 2 minutes.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
18 Apr. 2026
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As the world's largest oil importer and a heavily export-reliant economy, China is vulnerable to an oil shock that's already slowing trade, pushing up factory costs, and darkening the outlook for the rest of the year.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But as filming continued, Pidgeon appeared to dirty her butter blond with caramel and chocolate shades similar to Bessette-Kennedy’s, thanks to stylist Kari Hill.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
25 Feb. 2026
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With the help of your Instant Pot, spaghetti and meatballs come together in under an hour without dirtying multiple dishes.—
Jenna Sims,
Southern Living,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Many told me the liberal media had smeared them as racists, xenophobes and misogynists.—
Nataliya Gumenyuk,
The Dial,
21 Apr. 2026
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Lawyers for MacInnes have accused Wilson of hiring Melissa Nathan, the American publicist of The Agency Group, to launch websites that smeared Ghost.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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While filmmakers acknowledge the historic momentum of their national cinema on the international stage, many have voiced concern that the sense of victory might obscure the very real issues still permeating the industry.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2026
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These misconceptions obscure Zionism’s essential truth.—
Elad Strohmayer,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And thus one of the more wholesome and fun events in the White House calendar was besmirched by a man who simply cannot stop with the zero-sum partisan nonsense even when surrounded by impressionable young faces.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
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Imagine having the gall to besmirch the name of a young mother killed for trying to speak up for her neighbors or of an ICU nurse shot in the back for trying to tend to a woman who had been pepper-sprayed in the face.—
Sasha Abramsky,
Washington Post,
2 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And the President doesn’t seem to mind if Vance humiliates himself running errands.—
Amy Davidson Sorkin,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
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The series follows Sabrina (Ayres), who is humiliated and emotionally devastated after being betrayed by her boyfriend.—
Ed Meza,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blacken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blacken. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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