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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackens
Verb
-
Blood still regularly stains the floors of the Coliseum’s rings.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Every night from January 2 – 4, the super Wolf Moon can be seen in the eastern sky as the sky darkens, rising higher and moving southward as midnight draws near, according to BBC Sky at Night Magazine.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
2 Jan. 2026
-
Ash-like material darkens the air, coming out of the giant cracks in the world Vecna ripped open by using the lives of four people, including the now-comatose Max, to open four gates from the Upside Down.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
26 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
Teachers Union leader Randi Weingarten smears Trump voters as fascists!—
The Hill,
The Hill,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In this way, Berlin and New York were linked as though through an imaginary tunnel that gave passage to the hidden or half-glimpsed sexualities that heteropatriarchy silences and obscures.—
Javier Montes,
Artforum,
1 Jan. 2026
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This deliberately obscures the possibility that some victims were lactating female bears — and for every dead mother, there was probably at least one cub in danger of dying from starvation.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
To show him who’s boss, Catherine turns around and buys Pac-North, humiliates him by closing it, and forces him back to Grey Sloan.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
9 Oct. 2025
-
There’s always a moment in which somebody humiliates the villain and now all the love in him is gone.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
About Modern Work Spaces Hackl says that efficient workflows are still the primary goal, but the concept has changed in a way that blurs the lines of the classic three-sided shape.—
Kristina McGuirk,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Squire’s story blurs ideological lines.—
Emily Brindley,
Dallas Morning News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The eggs were fluffy, lacking any of the rubbery slop that besmirches lesser breakfast burritos.—
Carolyn Burt,
Oc Register,
1 Dec. 2025
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This cynicism inevitably besmirches players, coaches, and referees who have no ties to gambling.—
Danny Funt,
New Yorker,
28 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Blackens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackens. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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