blacken

verb

black·​en ˈbla-kən 

blackened; blackening

ˈblak-niŋ,

ˈbla-kə- 

intransitive verb

: to become dark or black

the sky blackens

transitive verb

1

: to make black

2

: defame, sully

blackened her reputation

blackener

ˈblak-nər

ˈbla-kə- 

noun

Synonyms

• befoul
• begrime
• bemire
• besmirch
• daub
• dirty
• distain [archaic]
• foul
• gaum [dialect]
• grime
• mire
• muck
• muddy
• smirch
• smudge
• soil
• stain
• sully

Examples of blacken in a Sentence

Fire had blackened the field.

The sky blackened as the storm approached.

Their false accusations failed to blacken my reputation.

a presidency blackened by scandal

Recent Examples on the Web

The charred footprint of the Eaton fire, which blackened more than 14,000 acres, is the most worrisome. —Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2025

In one corner, fires from ancient rituals had left the limestone ceiling blackened by soot. —Gina Decaprio Vercesi, Travel + Leisure, 23 Jan. 2025

Rafah was left uninhabitable by the Israeli assault, its buildings crumbled and blackened. —Sean Nevin, NBC News, 19 Jan. 2025

Popularized by celebrated Louisiana chef Paul Prudhomme in the 1980s, blackening calls for liberally seasoning a protein (traditionally redfish fillets) with a variety of Creole and Cajun spices and searing over very high heat to create that signature dark crust and smoky flavor. —Ryan McCarthy, Saveur, 16 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English blaknen, blakenen, from blak black entry 1 + -n, -en -en entry 2

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Kids Definition

blacken

verb

black·​en ˈblak-ən 

blackened; blackening ˈblak-(ə-)niŋ 

1

: to make or become dark or black

2

: to hurt the reputation of

blackener

-(ə-)nər 

noun