as in fading
to make white or whiter by removing color
bleached the stained shirt back to its original white
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Recent Examples of bleaching
Nolasco said a taper is the favorite haircut these days and there’s also players bleaching their hair blond for the playoffs.
—
Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2026
Justine Skye took this mousy brown look to the next level by bleaching her brows to match.
—Kara Jillian Brown, InStyle, 22 May 2026
She was also reportedly seen bleaching the inside of her car.
—Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Once in a while, black flats compress the space, framing a single character’s face, bathed in a bleaching white light, as if their vulnerabilities were being scanned by an MRI.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 16 Apr. 2026
The figure skater actually began bleaching her own hair with a paintbrush—and only brought in a professional right before the 2026 Winter Olympics.
—Audrey Noble, Vogue, 19 Feb. 2026
Fierce sunlight bleaching the stones of the old city, blinding the passengers as porters in white kaffiyehs and djellabas stack their portmanteaus on donkey carts.
—Literary Hub, 16 Feb. 2026
His inability to recognize the oxymoron makes Cole’s introspection on this topic feel less like a genuine reckoning and more like a feeble attempt at bleaching out the darkest stains of his career.
—Benny Sun, Pitchfork, 10 Feb. 2026
For White, Bleach-Safe Clothing Gagliardi says to always avoid bleaching clothing made from materials like wool, silk, mohair, leather, and spandex—even if the item is white.
—Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 6 Feb. 2026
Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2026
Justine Skye took this mousy brown look to the next level by bleaching her brows to match.
—Kara Jillian Brown, InStyle, 22 May 2026
She was also reportedly seen bleaching the inside of her car.
—Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Once in a while, black flats compress the space, framing a single character’s face, bathed in a bleaching white light, as if their vulnerabilities were being scanned by an MRI.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 16 Apr. 2026
The figure skater actually began bleaching her own hair with a paintbrush—and only brought in a professional right before the 2026 Winter Olympics.
—Audrey Noble, Vogue, 19 Feb. 2026
Fierce sunlight bleaching the stones of the old city, blinding the passengers as porters in white kaffiyehs and djellabas stack their portmanteaus on donkey carts.
—Literary Hub, 16 Feb. 2026
His inability to recognize the oxymoron makes Cole’s introspection on this topic feel less like a genuine reckoning and more like a feeble attempt at bleaching out the darkest stains of his career.
—Benny Sun, Pitchfork, 10 Feb. 2026
For White, Bleach-Safe Clothing Gagliardi says to always avoid bleaching clothing made from materials like wool, silk, mohair, leather, and spandex—even if the item is white.
—Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 6 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bleaching
Verb
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Most El Niño events typically begin forming between March and June, strengthen through summer into fall, and peak between November and January before fading in late winter into spring.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
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Market expectations have shifted throughout the war, with broad rate cut expectations fading and being replaced by higher-for-longer interest-rate environments across economies.—
Terri Cullen,Chloe Taylor,Garrett Downs,Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
14 June 2026
Verb
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Try a low stakes upgrade by brightening your profile photo, helping a simple hello travel farther right now.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
15 June 2026
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With a steadily brightening Sun, when does the Earth either get too hot or too CO2-starved for the base of the food chain to survive?—
Scott K. Johnson,
ArsTechnica,
15 June 2026
Verb
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The chemical remains an ingredient in countless products from whitening toothpastes to eyeshadows, although the FDA did ban its inclusion in household soap products in 2016.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
12 June 2026
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Always test any whitening product in an inconspicuous area first and avoid prolonged contact with the surface.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bleaching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bleaching. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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