1
as in stains
to make dirty
blackened the towels with their dirty hands
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in libels
to make untrue and harmful statements about
the politician maliciously blackened his opponent's reputation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in darkens
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 blackens
As the salmon blackens in a skillet, the spices awaken, encrusting the fish in peppery piquant.
—
The Bon Appétit, Bon Appetit Magazine, 10 Feb. 2026
The Bon Appétit, Bon Appetit Magazine, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackens
Verb
-
What Sacks doesn’t get is that by financing and diplomatically supporting Israel, our country makes the crimes of the Israeli government possible, which stains America’s reputation in the world and drains our Treasury.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Every failure of the state now stains the turban as well as the uniform.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Its charming glow is often visible even before the sky fully darkens, which is so fitting and poetic when considering both the planetary and astrological essence of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
6 May 2026
-
Without an atmosphere, the surface would be especially vulnerable to this process, known as space weathering, which gradually breaks down and darkens rock.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
The adventurous actress dirties up her frock and face to play the village pariah, who reeks of fish and would be no man’s idea of a suitable wife, except perhaps the one-eyed bum who sleeps in the town square.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
This chilling, starkly beautiful ambient piece draws Nebraska’s marginal whispers to the forefront and smears them across the picture plane.—
Sasha Geffen,
Pitchfork,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The five pieces offer, in turn, biomorphic hints of de Kooning, the ragged shapes of Clyfford Still, the bold geometries of Ellsworth Kelly, the paint smears of Gerhard Richter, and something that looks like toothpaste squeezed onto an orange peel.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
22 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
This narrative, reliably recycled by politicians seeking reelection and economists insulated from everyday pressures, obscures a more complicated reality.—
Gene Ludwig,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
-
In many locations, the brightness of artificial light sources obscures the beauty of the night sky.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
In its first go-round, Beef was ripe with curiosity about first-gen immigrant families and how the fear of leaving home stagnates and sullies us.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2026
-
For all the ways Disney’s move sullies it with creatives in Hollywood, OpenAI’s new partner does the opposite — gives it massive cred in Silicon Valley.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
And the President doesn’t seem to mind if Vance humiliates himself running errands.—
Amy Davidson Sorkin,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Later that season, Eric humiliates Bill in front of their Pierpoint colleagues by insulting his work quality and Bill dies from brain cancer.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The doors are closed on the relationship, the focus blurs.—
Eva Wiseman,
Vogue,
7 May 2026
-
Momentum stalls, focus blurs, energy dissipates, and frustration mounts.—
Stevo Pavićević,
Harvard Business Review,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blackens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackens. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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