definitions

blacken

[ blak-uhn ]
/ ˈblæk ən /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR blacken ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to make black; darken.
to speak evil of; defame: to blacken a person's reputation.

verb (used without object)

to grow or become black.

RELATED WORDS

blot, smudge, tarnish, sully, stain, soil, befoul, shade, deepen, cloud, begrime, ink, ebonize, defile, decry, traduce, knock, slur, blotch, malign

Nearby words

blackcap, blackcock, blackcod, blackcurrant, blackdamp, blacken, blackened, blackett, blackett, patrick maynard stuart, blackface, blackfeet

Origin of blacken

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at black, -en1

Related forms

black·en·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for blacken

British Dictionary definitions for blacken

blacken

/ (ˈblækən) /

verb

to make or become black or dirty
(tr) to defame; slander (esp in the phrase blacken someone's name)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012