whitened 1 of 2

adjective

1
as in white

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2
as in bleached

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Dissimilar Words

whitened

2 of 2

verb

past tense of whiten
as in faded
to make white or whiter by removing color years of sunlight had almost completely whitened the flag

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 whitened
Adjective
Rub a small amount of oil, like mayonnaise or vegetable oil, on the whitened area; natural oils should suffice. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 4 Mar. 2026
Verb
Pairs that make the cut are cleaned from the sole upward, disinfected inside and, in some cases, whitened under UV light before being put back into circulation. — ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026 My knuckles whitened against the steering wheel. — MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whitened
  1. white
  2. bleached
  3. faded
  4. waxen
  5. washed
  6. sallow
  7. purified
  8. waxy
Adjective
  • The move came after Black Democrats aligned with white Republican legislators to convince a federal court to create three congressional districts to elect the state’s first Black member of Congress since 1876.
    — Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026
  • It’s topped with Gruyère and finished with a blend of black, white and Szechuan peppercorns along with Indonesian long pepper and grains of paradise.
    — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026
Definition of white
Adjective
  • Original Tuscan columns on the facade were preserved, while interior crown moldings were restored and paired with bleached hardwood chevron floors, new chandeliers, and mantlepieces.
    — Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 2 July 2026
  • The palettes are often chalky and austere—bleached grays, oxidized browns—and the subject matter can blur into undifferentiated bulk.
    — Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 23 June 2026
Definition of bleached
Verb
  • As impact heating faded, the upper mantle cooled, and the once-thin basaltic crust thickened.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 5 July 2026
  • On Saturday night, the visibility faded to a point where the old-school scoreboard above the center-field bleachers could not be seen from the press box high atop the Friendly Confines.
    — Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 5 July 2026
Definition of faded
Adjective
  • Instead, the moss’s telltale sign of woe is its glum, grayish hue, a waxen appearance that comes from ferns and algae that have crept over it.
    — Sabrina Imbler, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Dec. 2020
Definition of waxen
Adjective
  • Michigan health officials recommend purchasing whole heads of lettuce instead of pre-washed lettuce; discarding outer layers of lettuce; and washing inner leaves.
    — Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 13 July 2026
  • The post said the restaurant is soaking and washing produce again, even if the lettuce and spinach are pre-washed but not bagged.
    — Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 11 July 2026
Definition of washed
Adjective
  • The colors are really sallow and kind of ugly.
    — Marah Eakin, Vulture, 14 May 2026
  • The cold of winter can leave your complexion dry, sallow, and desperate for hydration.
    — Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 2 Apr. 2026
Definition of sallow
Adjective
  • Similarly, SpudCell was assembled from the bottom up with purified, nonliving parts.
    — Tara Deans, The Conversation, 8 July 2026
  • Workers feed iron ore, coal and limestone into the furnaces’ top and use long sticks to punch open holes for purified molten iron to flow out from the bottom.
    — John Lippert, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2026
Definition of purified
Adjective
  • But hot temps can turn them into a waxy mess before your eyes.
    — Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 June 2026
  • White phosphorus is a solid, waxy chemical that ignites instantly when combined with oxygen.
    — Stephan Bisaha, NPR, 6 June 2026
Definition of waxy

Browse Nearby Words

whiten
whitened
whiteness
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Cite this Entry

“Whitened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whitened. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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