blackens

verb

present tense third-person singular of blacken
1
as in stains
to make dirty blackened the towels with their dirty hands

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2
as in libels
to make untrue and harmful statements about the politician maliciously blackened his opponent's reputation

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3
as in darkens
to make dark, dim, or indistinct thick smoke from the forest fires blackened the sky for many miles

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4
as in fades
to grow dark the auditorium blackened suddenly, and a spotlighted performer appeared alone on stage

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackens
  1. stains
  2. smears
  3. darkens
  4. dirties
  5. humiliates
  6. obscures
  7. sullies
  8. maligns
Verb
  • When that protective finish gets damaged, the toilet actually stains easier and is harder to keep clean over time.
    — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 24 May 2026
  • 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
Definition of stains
Verb
  • The atmosphere works on them a little bit harder and reduces their strength and smears them a little bit more.
    — Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Offshore dollar savings and onshore settlement demand are diverging, and the supply chart smears the two together.
    — Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
Definition of smears
Verb
  • Cook, stirring often, until paste darkens in color, about 4 minutes.
    — Rachel Dolfi, Bon Appetit Magazine, 30 July 2026
  • During this time, the sky darkens, and viewers can remove their eclipse glasses to view our planet's moon blocking our star.
    — Julia Gomez, USA Today, 29 July 2026
Definition of darkens
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
Definition of dirties
Verb
  • Diomande just humiliates fullbacks.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 12 June 2026
  • Incompetent leadership humiliates us on the global stage.
    — Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
Definition of humiliates
Verb
  • This is a shame, and not only because the book’s style obscures its significance as the most high-profile effort by that date to marry what were then the two most important currents of French philosophy.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 July 2026
  • Studying differences at the state level further obscures the signal by combining rural California with San Francisco Bay Area counties or upstate New York with New York City.
    — Marc Lipsitch, STAT, 21 July 2026
Definition of obscures
Verb
  • The film hinges on a small moment that not only sullies the trip but leads her character to reconsider her understanding of her father.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 17 July 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
Definition of sullies
Verb
  • In it, Kennedy maligns germ theory as a tool of pharmaceutical companies, scientists, and doctors to promote the use of modern medicines.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 23 Apr. 2026
  • In its weekly online newsletter, which reaches and inspires jihadists across the globe, the group routinely maligns Shara and the new government and calls for soldiers in the Syrian military to defect.
    — Caroline Rose, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2025
Definition of maligns

Browse Nearby Words

blackening
blackens
black eye
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Cite this Entry

“Blackens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackens. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of blackens for Spanish Speakers

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