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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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
The signage has been blackened out and many of the hospital's windows are boarded up or smashed in.
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Stephanie Innes, The Arizona Republic, 28 Nov. 2024
But the task has been performed so many times that dust and metal from the robot’s fingers have blackened the edges.
—James Somers, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024
The fire burned for 64 days, blackening 429,603 acres in Butte and Tehama counties and destroying 709 homes and other structures.
—Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
But the wreckage remains — some 243 structures destroyed, a quarter of Ventura County’s avocado groves blackened, power lines downed, miles of irrigation pipes melted ... and a beloved perennial nursery in Somis burned and nearly shuttered.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for blacken 
Stephanie Innes, The Arizona Republic, 28 Nov. 2024
But the task has been performed so many times that dust and metal from the robot’s fingers have blackened the edges.
—James Somers, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024
The fire burned for 64 days, blackening 429,603 acres in Butte and Tehama counties and destroying 709 homes and other structures.
—Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
But the wreckage remains — some 243 structures destroyed, a quarter of Ventura County’s avocado groves blackened, power lines downed, miles of irrigation pipes melted ... and a beloved perennial nursery in Somis burned and nearly shuttered.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for blacken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blacken
Verb
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The clay could have been put onto the bone directly, or the bone could have been held in a cloth already stained with red ochre.Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
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The assault permanently stained Yarrow's reputation, particularly in the #MeToo era, as he was regularly disinvited from events once his name became known as a performing guest.Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 7 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Wright got so big on social media even Piers Morgan invited her to libel Jay Z and Beyonce on his platform.Rob Marriott, VIBE.com, 30 Dec. 2024
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Though he was not named in the ad, Mr. Sullivan asserted he had been personally libeled by The Times and four Black ministers who were signed to the ad.David W. Dunlap, New York Times, 22 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The point is to strip away contaminants (like pesticides or trace metals) as well as other compounds that make the oil prone to going rancid, give it a harsh taste or smell, or darken its color.Erica Sloan, SELF, 13 Jan. 2025
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Silver can also stimulate the production of the pigment melanin, causing darkening.Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Having dirtied himself in the catacombs beneath the papacy’s home, our scrappy archaeologist emerges into none other than a resplendent re-creation of the Sistine Chapel.Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2024
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Arizona Republic Cool weather and the holiday season may seem like the perfect excuse to cozy up by the fire, but too many blazing yule logs can dirty the air and put some of your neighbors at risk.Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 16 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Yet before those convoys even made their way to the capital, Trudeau, his ministers, and their contacts in the media, were conspiring to smear the protesters as violent extremists bent on bringing a January 6 north to Canada.Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025
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Now this journalist is accused of helping smear the star.Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY, 6 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Theories about reasons for insufficient water supply have served as comforting fictions in recent days, obscuring the far scarier reality: California is facing a level of wildfire threat beyond any in its history, the kind that overwhelms our usual definitions of preparedness.Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 10 Jan. 2025
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The results of the analysis are estimates, and they are limited by the presence of wildfire smoke partially obscuring satellites.Leanne Abraham, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Images illustrating the reality versus carefully edited Instagram selfies have somewhat besmirched Santorini’s romantic reputation of late.Helen Iatrou, AFAR Media, 16 Dec. 2024
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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
Verb
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Illinois has the seventh-highest scoring offense in Division I, but was humiliated to 29 percent shooting, and the otherwise-excellent Kasparas Jakučionis had more turnovers (seven) than made baskets (five, on 15 tries).Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
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Over several years, victims were beaten, threatened and humiliated, while perpetrators befriended parents to screen them from the systemic abuse.Dan Perry, Newsweek, 4 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Blacken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blacken. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
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