blackened
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Explanation
To be blackened means to become darkened or charred, often as a result of burning. It can also describe the appearance of blood gathering and spreading beneath the skin in a way that makes it appear darker. Charred vegetables on a grill can be described as blackened from the high heat. Similarly, a piece of toast that is forgotten in the toaster until it's nearly burnt is also blackened. This word can also describe surfaces that have been darkened by smoke or soot, such as the walls of a fireplace. Things can become blackened as a result of cooking, fire, or even age, giving objects a dark, charred appearance.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Blackened by soot, the gutted and derelict remains of South Africa's infamous Usindiso building in central Johannesburg are an unintentional memorial to the 76 people who died here in a devastating fire two years ago.
From BBC • Aug. 28, 2025
Blackened cars could also be seen on the slope leading down from the highway.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 30, 2024
Returning to modern life with Orville Peck’s “The Curse of the Blackened Eye,” I was impressed by the wide soundstage Samsung has given these buds.
From The Verge • Aug. 19, 2022
Blackened and irregular, they look as if they were accidentally left in the oven overnight.
From New York Times • Dec. 21, 2021
Blackened, ruined, a vast graveyard, a monumental starving-ground, France lay about his death-bed, and its people were but waiting with grim impatience for their king to die.
From The Mississippi Bubble by Hough, Emerson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
