as in bleaches
to make white or whiter by removing color
years of sunlight had almost completely whitened the flag
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whitens
Verb
-
Midnight blue, a heavier shade, has been favored in recent years as the summer fades and fall approaches.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
6 Sep. 2025 -
And when history is forgotten, respect for it fades.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
But seeing the children in the shelter − along with the Red Cross staff − brightens her spirit.—
Hope Karnopp,
jsonline.com,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Stephanie said this brightens the day for herself and Patrick, but also for others who see the animal friends hanging out together.—
Rick Mauch,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Aug. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Whitens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whitens. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share