Synonyms of blackened

blackened 1 of 2

adjective

ˈbla-kənd 

as in stained

not clean

the church's blackened ceiling is the result of centuries of candle smoke

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stained
• filthy
• dusty
• black
• muddy
• dirty
• smudged
• nasty
• grimy
• soiled
• dingy
• begrimed
• greasy
• messy
• polluted
• grubby
• grungy
• unclean
• bedraggled
• sordid
• mucky
• sullied
• smutty
• draggled
• besmirched
• foul
• befouled
• uncleanly
• sloppy
• grotty
• contaminated
• littered
• chaotic
• tainted
• bemired
• messed
• cruddy
• confused
• uncleaned
• unwashed
• impure
• insanitary
• sooty
• rumpled
• defiled
• disordered
• cluttered
• unsanitary
• jumbled
• unkempt
• unsterilized
• scruffy
• disheveled
• muddled
• disarranged
• untidy
• slovenly
• unsterile
• shabby
• squalid
• disarrayed
• gunky
• fuliginous
• raunchy
• mussy
• germy
• crocked
• mussed
• scuzzy
• skanky
• collied
• sleazy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• stainless
• clean
• spotless
• unsullied
• unstained
• immaculate
• pure
• clear
• cleaned
• cleanly
• unsoiled
• ultraclean
• limpid
• spick-and-span
• bleached
• cleansed
• ordered
• neat
• combed
• tidy
• whitened
• groomed
• orderly
• shiny
• untouched
• purified
• sparkling
• bright
• perfect
• flawless
• unblemished
• unspotted
• untainted
• unpolluted
• wholesome
• virgin
• undefiled
• taintless

blackened

2 of 2

verb

past tense of blacken

1

as in dirtied

to make dirty

blackened the towels with their dirty hands

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stained
• dirtied
• smudged
• grimed
• sullied
• soiled
• begrimed
• besmirched
• messed
• smirched
• muddied
• daubed
• befouled
• mucked
• mired
• contaminated
• polluted
• distained
• tainted
• bemired
• fouled
• discolored
• gaumed
• defiled
• draggled
• disordered
• jumbled
• disheveled
• disarranged
• disarrayed
• muddled
• confused
• crocked
• collied

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• cleaned
• cleansed
• purified
• purged
• wiped
• brushed
• swept
• decontaminated
• washed
• scrubbed
• disinfected
• rinsed
• dusted
• sanitized
• scoured
• brightened
• renewed
• mopped
• laundered
• freshened
• straightened (up)
• deodorized
• dry-cleaned
• spruced (up)
• tidied (up)

2

as in smeared

to make untrue and harmful statements about

the politician maliciously blackened his opponent's reputation

Synonyms & Similar Words

• smeared
• libeled
• disgraced
• humiliated
• maligned
• slandered
• vilified
• discredited
• defamed
• calumniated
• shamed
• aspersed
• traduced
• dishonored
• denigrated
• disparaged
• detracted
• degraded
• belittled
• humbled
• disdained
• debased
• scorned
• abased

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• honored
• exalted
• praised
• glorified
• applauded
• commended
• respected
• acclaimed
• admired
• regarded
• esteemed
• revered
• worshipped
• adored
• venerated

3

as in darkened

to make dark, dim, or indistinct

thick smoke from the forest fires blackened the sky for many miles

Synonyms & Similar Words

• darkened
• obscured
• blurred
• clouded
• shrouded
• overshadowed
• dimmed
• shadowed
• fogged
• hazed
• misted
• beclouded
• overcast
• bedimmed
• shaded
• overclouded
• concealed
• covered
• bleared
• obliterated
• dislimned
• hid
• eclipsed
• fuzzed (up)
• befogged
• masked
• blotted out
• cloaked
• adumbrated
• camouflaged
• veiled
• screened
• curtained
• disguised

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• illuminated
• brightened
• lit (up)
• exposed
• lightened
• revealed
• uncovered
• illumined
• unveiled

4

as in faded

to grow dark

the auditorium blackened suddenly, and a spotlighted performer appeared alone on stage

Synonyms & Similar Words

• darkened
• faded
• closed in
• blacked out
• dusked
• dimmed
• waned
• gloomed
• lowered

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• lit
• brightened
• lightened
• dawned
• shone
• glowed
• radiated
• beamed

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of blackened

Adjective

The land, unfenced, abuts a bald blackened hillside that must be public land. — Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025

Verb

Footage shot later at daybreak showed the house gutted, charred and blackened from the inside out. — Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026

On Tuesday, a silver cross on a long chain hung from the pine tree’s bark, which was peeling and blackened from the blaze. — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026

The blaze blackened about 25 acres near the Getty Center before firefighters got the upper hand on it. — Tom Tapp, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2026

Venus ascendant, sky blackened with the new moon, and acool breeze soothed you. — Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2026

Then the 2011 Wallow Fire, still the largest in Arizona history at more than a half-million acres, blackened much of the Blue Range. — Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 8 Sep. 2026

Timber Fire Monterey County’s Timber Fire burning near Big Sur has blackened nearly 2,500 acres since its start Monday afternoon and is 5% contained. — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 11 Aug. 2026

The old silver and gold shops, their facades blackened by time, were gone. — Lina Sergie Attar, Time, 6 Aug. 2026

It was blackened, charred, the conductor that had drawn the single precise punch of lightning. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 27 July 2026