as in bleaches
to make white or whiter by removing color
years of sunlight had almost completely whitened the flag
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Recent Examples of whitens
According to Hill, good old-fashioned sunlight naturally kills bacteria, refreshes items, and whitens fabrics.
—
Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Jan. 2026
Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whitens
Verb
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His owner, Hannah Gleason from Oklahoma, told Newsweek that the merle gene isn’t a coloring gene rather than a gene that bleaches the fur and causes lack of pigmentation which can lead to birth defects, blindness, deafness, or sometimes all three.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Jeans then usually go through finishing treatments to create different shades, fades and distressed textures.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 May 2026
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Its effectiveness fades quickly outdoors, so combining methods works best.—
Melissa Epifano,
The Spruce,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Your 5th House of Creativity brightens as the emotional Moon forms an easy sextile with sore-spot Chiron in your 7th House of Partnership, turning play into repair.—
Tarot.com,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 June 2026
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Niacinamide brightens and balances, while collagen, squalane, and adenosine work together to contribute to a hydrated, bouncier-looking complexion.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whitens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whitens. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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