blacken

blackened; blackening; blackens

Definitions of blacken
  1. verb
    make or become black
    “The smoke blackened the ceiling”
    “The ceiling blackened”
    synonyms: black, melanise, melanize, nigrify
    see moresee less
    Antonyms:
    white, whiten
    turn white
    type of:
    color, colour, discolor, discolour
    change color, often in an undesired manner
  2. verb
    burn slightly and superficially so as to affect color
    “The cook blackened the chicken breast”
    synonyms: char, scorch, sear
    see moresee less
    types:
    singe, swinge
    burn superficially or lightly
    type of:
    burn
    burn with heat, fire, or radiation
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘blacken'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family
EDITOR'S CHOICE

Look up blacken for the last time

Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.

Start your vocabulary training
VocabTrainer - Vocabulary.com's Vocabulary Trainer