1
as in to stain
to make dirty
blackened the towels with their dirty hands
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2
as in to libel
to make untrue and harmful statements about
the politician maliciously blackened his opponent's reputation
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to darken
to make dark, dim, or indistinct
thick smoke from the forest fires blackened the sky for many miles
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of blacken
Today, Rafah is uninhabitable, its buildings crumbled and blackened.
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Richard Engel, NBC News, 13 Sep. 2024
Damage inspections were ongoing, officials with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said in a post on X.
The fire burning in Clearlake, about 110 miles northwest of Sacramento, had blackened at least 76 acres as of Monday morning, according to Cal Fire reports.
—Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2024
Flames were not visible from the camera, but swathes of blackened, scorched land were shown.
—Katie Langford, The Denver Post, 12 Sep. 2024
People sit around on the sand, with an area of the ground appearing blackened.
—Catherine Nicholls, CNN, 3 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for blacken 
Richard Engel, NBC News, 13 Sep. 2024
Damage inspections were ongoing, officials with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said in a post on X.
The fire burning in Clearlake, about 110 miles northwest of Sacramento, had blackened at least 76 acres as of Monday morning, according to Cal Fire reports.
—Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2024
Flames were not visible from the camera, but swathes of blackened, scorched land were shown.
—Katie Langford, The Denver Post, 12 Sep. 2024
People sit around on the sand, with an area of the ground appearing blackened.
—Catherine Nicholls, CNN, 3 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for blacken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blacken
Verb
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Sometimes, traffickers stain ivory to look like wood or coat it in chocolate to make it through inspections.Ashley Strickland, CNN, 2 Nov. 2024
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A number of the belongings appeared to be stained with blood.Tim Madigan, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Angered by both the initial post and the follow-up, Mann filed a lawsuit against National Review in October of 2012, claiming that both Steyn and Lowry had not only libeled him, but were guilty of the intentional infliction of emotional distress.The Editors, National Review, 13 Mar. 2024
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This quickly arose this question: What happens when somebody libels somebody in an online forum?The Politics Of Everything, The New Republic, 10 May 2023
Verb
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In another unusual move, Jeffries kept certain store windows darkened to create a mystique and had eager, curious customers kept standing on line outside waiting to get in.Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 22 Oct. 2024
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Photograph: Daisuke Takimoto In addition, when the doors are closed, the liquid crystal shutters on the windows on both sides will darken to create a dimmer, more private space.Daisuke Takimoto, WIRED, 9 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Instead, Walz seems to have little to say about factory farming dirtying the state’s waterways.Kenny Torrella, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
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Garments can be dirtied again by the elements if air-dried outside.Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 July 2024
Verb
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Lila’s makeup is smeared all over her face; the windows of the apartment are wide open, the wind rattling the empty rooms.Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2024
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Rubbing will smear the mud and cause a bigger problem.Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 28 Oct. 2024
Verb
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For example, Private Relay obscures your IP address while browsing the web using Safari.PCMAG, PCMAG, 7 Nov. 2024
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In 2020, President Biden won both, but his advantage in the popular vote and Electoral College obscured how close the election was.Jared Gans, The Hill, 2 Nov. 2024
Verb
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There’s a new promo picture going around showing a Dusty Milligan with facial hair (see: above) — and listen, not to besmirch his infinity-pool jawline, but the dude looks so much better with that scruff.Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
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The Jefferson Council, a conservative alumni group, had been calling for an end or change to the tour program, insisting that volunteers had been wrongly besmirching the legacy of UVA's founder.David K. Li, NBC News, 30 Aug. 2024
Verb
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Then, last year, the 49ers humiliated Dallas by the score of 42-10 at home.Vincent Frank, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
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Shaking down Bodhi, killing some bikers, jokingly humiliating his ex-girlfriend on the witness stand — less than ideal, but nothing you’re not supposed to be able to live with.Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Blacken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blacken. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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