as in brightened
to make white or whiter by removing color
bleached the stained shirt back to its original white
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in faded
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Recent Examples of bleached
Essence, 15 Sep. 2025
Towering live oaks, cedars, and palmettos once grew near the shore here, but as the Atlantic’s erosive forces carved the bluffs away, the trees tumbled down and were weathered by sun and salt into pale, bleached skeletons.
—Skye Sherman, Southern Living, 9 Aug. 2025
Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2025
The only thing not bleached was, luckily, his face.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025
The visual begins with the 21-year-old Slovak pop star—her hair dyed pastel pink, her eyebrows bleached—appearing to simulate an orgasm in front of a shrine to pop music in her bedroom.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 23 Aug. 2025
Tokischa’s hair spikes out like jagged rays of an eccentric sun, bleached in a shade of unapologetic, brassy yellow.
—Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 15 Aug. 2025
The result is this versatile carpet with lots of texture and a unique checkerboard print created by the contrasting bleached and unbleached jute fibers.
—Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 13 Aug. 2025
Unfortunately, the 2025 Perseids happened to coincide with the appearance of a waxing gibbous moon, which bleached the sky with moonlight, blotting out all but the brightest members of the ancient meteor shower.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Australia’s iconic Great Barrier Reef, famed for its stunning colors and biodiversity, suffered its biggest ever decline last year after a marine heatwave bleached vast swathes of hard coral, a new report has found.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2025
After a couple of hours, the acorn flour was bleached of its toxic tannins.
—Shaun McKinnon, AZCentral.com, 26 July 2025
Verb
From bleached eyebrows to full beats, take a look at our favorite beauty moments from the day.
—Essence, 15 Sep. 2025
Towering live oaks, cedars, and palmettos once grew near the shore here, but as the Atlantic’s erosive forces carved the bluffs away, the trees tumbled down and were weathered by sun and salt into pale, bleached skeletons.
—Skye Sherman, Southern Living, 9 Aug. 2025
Adjective
The coral, now bleached, is alive, but slowly starving.
—Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2025
The only thing not bleached was, luckily, his face.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025
The visual begins with the 21-year-old Slovak pop star—her hair dyed pastel pink, her eyebrows bleached—appearing to simulate an orgasm in front of a shrine to pop music in her bedroom.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 23 Aug. 2025
Tokischa’s hair spikes out like jagged rays of an eccentric sun, bleached in a shade of unapologetic, brassy yellow.
—Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 15 Aug. 2025
The result is this versatile carpet with lots of texture and a unique checkerboard print created by the contrasting bleached and unbleached jute fibers.
—Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 13 Aug. 2025
Unfortunately, the 2025 Perseids happened to coincide with the appearance of a waxing gibbous moon, which bleached the sky with moonlight, blotting out all but the brightest members of the ancient meteor shower.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Australia’s iconic Great Barrier Reef, famed for its stunning colors and biodiversity, suffered its biggest ever decline last year after a marine heatwave bleached vast swathes of hard coral, a new report has found.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2025
After a couple of hours, the acorn flour was bleached of its toxic tannins.
—Shaun McKinnon, AZCentral.com, 26 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bleached
Verb
-
But the worries quickly faded as the day began with calm waters.—
Amelia Wu,
Sacbee.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
But while overall buyer demand has faded, new home construction has helped prop up housing market values in Sun Belt markets, Zillow found.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Discovered in January, the green comet has brightened faster than predicted in recent weeks and now looks set to be visible from dark rural skies during October 2025.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Stained and seasoned with curry powder, the chickpea salad’s bold flavor is brightened with fresh herbs, scallions and a splash of vinegar.—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Mary Anne MacLeod grew up in a suburb, a village called Tong — really just a cluster of houses, including the early 20th century squat gray stucco bungalow that was her family's home.—
Lauren Frayer,
NPR,
14 Sep. 2025
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On one hand, companies that enable gray-zone transactions face heightened scrutiny.—
Ilona Limonta-Volkova,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Images generally have washed-out colors and an overall dark tone.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
25 July 2025
-
Lindsay’s nails cause the color of the nail bed to look half white and half red or brown, whereas Terry’s nails cause the nail bed to look mostly white or washed-out, per Cleveland Clinic.—
Caroline C. Boyle,
USA TODAY,
12 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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There’s a fine line between being a bit mysterious in negotiations and just being wishy washy.—
Matt Fleming,
Oc Register,
23 June 2025
-
The best is the smiles and dancing at the washy washy station.—
Nathan Diller,
USA TODAY,
13 May 2024
Cite this Entry
“Bleached.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bleached. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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