1
as in to stain
to make dirty
blackened the towels with their dirty hands
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Eventually, Dad needed to referee, settling disputes and trying to end things before noses were bloodied and eyes were blackened.
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Chad Graff, The Athletic, 12 Aug. 2024
On a Saturday afternoon in early July, the clouds blackened above Hampton Court Palace, southwest of London.
—Sophie Elmhirst, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2024
The other, taken just after the October 7 attack, shows the same homes blackened and destroyed in the militants’ rampage.
—Matthew Chance, CNN, 6 Oct. 2024
Today, Rafah is uninhabitable, its buildings crumbled and blackened.
—Richard Engel, NBC News, 13 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for blacken 
Chad Graff, The Athletic, 12 Aug. 2024
On a Saturday afternoon in early July, the clouds blackened above Hampton Court Palace, southwest of London.
—Sophie Elmhirst, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2024
The other, taken just after the October 7 attack, shows the same homes blackened and destroyed in the militants’ rampage.
—Matthew Chance, CNN, 6 Oct. 2024
Today, Rafah is uninhabitable, its buildings crumbled and blackened.
—Richard Engel, NBC News, 13 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for blacken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blacken
Verb
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In conducting the study, the team also developed a new technique to stain collagen fibers to analyze their impact on the skin’s mechanics.Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Dec. 2024
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This particular query came (stop it) during a recent interview with Variety where Daniel Craig asked if a shot of sheets stained with semen was kept in the final cut’s establishing scene.David Opie, IndieWire, 7 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Luckily for anyone still Christmas shopping, however, the court has continued pressing Giuliani for his assets, which are expected to be sold at auction to pay for a portion of the damages owed to the plaintiffs, whom Giuliani libelled with false claims of election malfeasance.Dan Greene, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
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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
Verb
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If the spot has already darkened to a black stain, dip a toothbrush into a small amount of bleach and rub onto the stain.Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Dec. 2024
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Eclipse totality is the phase in which the moon completely covers the sun, which causes the sky to darken.Ashlyn Robinette, People.com, 10 Dec. 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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The roads are smeared with a mulch of mud and wet leaves, and flooded in places by relentless rain.Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 4 Dec. 2024
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My shirt is covered in light brown stains, and greasy handprints smear my jeans.Nick Stockton, WIRED, 28 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Wedding Bells In August, engagement rumors began swirling when Gomez posted a mirror selfie that seemingly obscured an engagement ring on her finger with some pink love heart emojis.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024
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Rasche, somewhat challenging his Succession corporate-hanger-on image, opts for a genial warmth that obscures emotional absence.Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 12 Dec. 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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To see the reigning English champions humiliated and humbled in such a manner is a very rare event.Tim Spiers, The Athletic, 25 Nov. 2024
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Teeny feels humiliated over the fact that Genevieve left her out of the Sol vote, which is more than understandable.Nick Caruso, TVLine, 20 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Blacken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blacken. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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