BLACKENED Synonyms: 245 Similar and Opposite Words

blackened 1 of 2

adjective

ˈbla-kənd

Definition of blackened

as in stained

not clean the church's blackened ceiling is the result of centuries of candle smoke

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blackened

2 of 2

verb

past tense of blacken

as in dirtied

to make dirty blackened the towels with their dirty hands

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as in smeared

to make untrue and harmful statements about the politician maliciously blackened his opponent's reputation

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as in darkened

to make dark, dim, or indistinct thick smoke from the forest fires blackened the sky for many miles

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as in faded

to grow dark the auditorium blackened suddenly, and a spotlighted performer appeared alone on stage

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of blackened

Adjective

The land, unfenced, abuts a bald blackened hillside that must be public land. — Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025

Verb

As the balloon and its occupants fell to the ground, the nylon envelope and the gondola separated, and the wreckage scattered over a roughly 100-yard area, parts of it blackened by the explosion and resulting fire. — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026 The shrinking process had exaggerated some features, vanished others, and blackened the flesh. — Daniel Barnum, Longreads, 15 Oct. 2026 Footage shot later at daybreak showed the house gutted, charred and blackened from the inside out. — Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026 On Tuesday, a silver cross on a long chain hung from the pine tree’s bark, which was peeling and blackened from the blaze. — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026 The blaze blackened about 25 acres near the Getty Center before firefighters got the upper hand on it. — Tom Tapp, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2026 Venus ascendant, sky blackened with the new moon, and acool breeze soothed you. — Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2026 Then the 2011 Wallow Fire, still the largest in Arizona history at more than a half-million acres, blackened much of the Blue Range. — Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 8 Sep. 2026 Timber Fire Monterey County’s Timber Fire burning near Big Sur has blackened nearly 2,500 acres since its start Monday afternoon and is 5% contained. — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 11 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackened

Adjective

While stained glass does have a residential history—Frank Lloyd Wright in particular was known for incorporating art glass in projects—these colorful windows most often have religious connotations.

— Kelsey Mulvey, Architectural Digest, 20 Oct. 2026
Muashaq has long been a symbol of Damascus architecture, with stained glass an art form in the city dating back to the first century.

— Taylor Luck, Christian Science Monitor, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of stained

Verb

When stormwater dirtied by road runoff, failing septic tanks and fertilizer sullied crystal-clear rivers and lakes, and nobody cared.

— Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2026
Garments can be dirtied again by the elements if air-dried outside.

— Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Dec. 2025

Definition of dirtied

Verb

Apparently, ancient Greeks used breadsticks smeared with olive oil as a lubricant.

— Rachel Handler, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
Her makeup, crafted by Diana Shin, was equally as striking and overtly feminine, featuring pink shadow smeared in her crease, shimmer on her lids, falsies glued to her top lash line and burgundy lip liner accenting her lips.

— Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of smeared

Verb

As larger, necessary conversations regarding race, genre, music and industry categorization subsumed her Blue Island press run, the album’s softer, relatively disappointing commercial returns further darkened the energy around the release.

— Kyle Denis, Billboard, 21 Oct. 2026
His chubby forehead was creased, and a sort of hunted look darkened his eyes.

— Gerald R. Hunter, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of darkened

Adjective

There are several different subtypes of New York City Restaurant, from the humble old-timers (Katz’s, Nom Wah) to the temples of filthy lucre (Bemelmans, Rao’s).

— Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
The invention’s intent was to cut down on distracted driving — in addition to the frustration of digging around under filthy car seats.

— Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of filthy

Verb

But for audiences outside North America, catching Nathan Fielder’s three-hour documentary about disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes — now expected to be a major player in awards season — has become a frustrating waiting game.

— Alex Ritman, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026
Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim‘s documentary about disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes widens to 2,600 theaters domestically on Friday for its sophomore frame.

— Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of disgraced

Verb

The Barnes & Noble—a wide, flat building in gray brick—was obscured by an enormous construction crane.

— Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
What resonated most for me, though, was witnessing conversations where depth of understanding unveiled perspectives previously obscured.

— Pravir Malik, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of obscured

Adjective

The state was apportioned a bare 300,000 acre-feet a year in 1928, when Las Vegas was merely a dusty outpost miles from the Hoover Dam construction site.

— Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
On July 2, 2025, a burst with energy equivalent to 1,000 suns blazing for 10 billion years lit up Fermi’s detectors, heading from a dusty galaxy about eight billion light-years from Earth.

— Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of dusty

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“Blackened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackened. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of blackened

adjective

verb

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