Standard Lemma guide

blacken

verb · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈblækən/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ækən
  • CMU ARPABET: B L AE1 K AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To cause to be or become black.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: causative, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: black, denigrate

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To become black.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: ergative, intransitive

Examples

  • The sky blackened as the storm clouds rolled in.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: black up, forswart, swarten

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To make dirty.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: causative, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dirty, soil, assoil, beclart, bedaub, bedirty, imbrue (especially with blood), bedizen, befile, befilth, befoul, begrime, beray, beshit, besmear, besmirch, besully, bewray, blacken, blot, blur, clat, contaminate, darken, defile, dirten, elt, file, foil, foul, gunk, gunk up, inquinate, scunge, sling mud, slotter, slur, smear, smirch, smudge, smut, smutch, soss, sowl, spot, stain, sullow, sully, tarnish, uggle

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To defame or sully.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: defame, denigrate, sully, taint, tarnish, assassinate, asperse, backbite, badmouth, befoul, belibel, besmirch, besmear, bewray, blacken, blame, blaze, blemish, blot, blur, calumniate, calumny, chat shit, chat shite, cloud, demonize, deprave, depreciate, detract, dirty, discredit, disgrace, disparage, disrepute, diss, drag through the mud, forgab, forspeak, foul, infamize, lampoon, libel, malign, monsterize, muddy, reproach, revile, scandal, shit-talk, slag, slander, smear, smirch, spatter, spot, speak ill of, stab, stain, talk shit, talk shite, talk trash, torch, traduce, trash-talk, unflatter, vilify, vilipend, villainize, wrong

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To cook (meat or fish) by coating with pepper, etc., and quickly searing in a hot pan.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

make or become black

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The smoke blackened the ceiling
  • The ceiling blackened

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: melanize, melanise, nigrify, black

Antonyms: whiten

Broader terms: discolor, discolour, colour, color

7

verb

Meaning 7

burn slightly and superficially so as to affect color

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The cook blackened the chicken breast
  • The fire charred the ceiling above the mantelpiece
  • the flames scorched the ceiling

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: char, sear, scorch

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: burn

Narrower terms: singe, swinge

History

Etymology

From Middle English blaknen, blakkenen, equivalent to black + -en (verbal suffix).

Across languages

Translations

107 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Akkadian: 𒈪 (/⁠salamu⁠/) — make black
  • Albanian: zeshk — make black
  • Albanian: nxij — make black
  • Arabic: سَوَّدَ (sawwada) — make black
  • Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܡܲܟܸܡ (makkim) — make black
  • Azerbaijani: qaralamaq — make black
  • Azerbaijani: qaraltmaq — make black
  • Bulgarian: почерням (počernjam) — make black
  • Catalan: ennegrir — make black
  • Esperanto: nigrigi — make black
  • Finnish: mustata — make black
  • French: noircir — make black
  • Galician: ennegrecer — make black
  • German: schwärzen — make black
  • Greek: αμαυρώνω (amavróno) — make black
  • Ancient Greek: μελαίνω (melaínō) — make black
  • Hebrew: השחיר (hishkhír) — make black
  • Ido: nigrigar — make black
  • Indonesian: menghitamkan — make black
  • Irish: dubhaigh — make black
  • Italian: annerire — make black
  • Māori: whakapango — make black
  • Marathi: काळे करणे (kāḷe karṇe) — make black
  • Old English: sweartian — make black
  • Persian: سیاه کردن (siyâh kardan) — make black
  • Polish: czernić — make black
  • Polish: zaczernić — make black
  • Portuguese: enegrecer — make black
  • Romanian: înnegri — make black
  • Russian: черни́ть (černítʹ) — make black
  • Russian: зачерни́ть (začernítʹ) — make black
  • Slovak: začierniť — make black
  • Spanish: ennegrecer — make black
  • Swedish: svärta — make black
  • Tamil: கரு (karu) — make black
  • Telugu: నలుపుచేయు (nalupucēyu) — make black
  • Turkish: karartmak — make black
  • Ukrainian: чорни́ти (čornýty) — make black
  • Azerbaijani: qaralamaq — make dirty
  • Azerbaijani: çirkləndirmək — make dirty
  • Azerbaijani: batırmaq — make dirty
  • Bulgarian: цапам (capam) — make dirty
  • Finnish: liata — make dirty
  • French: souiller — make dirty
  • Italian: sporcare — make dirty
  • Portuguese: denegrir — make dirty
  • Russian: па́чкать (páčkatʹ) — make dirty
  • Russian: испа́чкать (ispáčkatʹ) — make dirty
  • Russian: запа́чкать (zapáčkatʹ) — make dirty
  • Russian: мара́ть (marátʹ) — make dirty
  • Russian: измара́ть (izmarátʹ) — make dirty
  • Russian: замара́ть (zamarátʹ) — make dirty
  • Russian: загрязня́ть (zagrjaznjátʹ) — make dirty
  • Russian: загрязни́ть (zagrjaznítʹ) — make dirty
  • Swedish: svärta — make dirty
  • Tamil: அழுக்காக்கு (aḻukkākku) — make dirty
  • Azerbaijani: qaralamaq — defame, sully
  • Bulgarian: очерням (očernjam) — defame, sully
  • Dutch: zwartmaken — defame, sully
  • Finnish: mustamaalata — defame, sully
  • French: noircir — defame, sully
  • French: salir — defame, sully
  • German: anschwärzen — defame, sully
  • Greek: αμαυρώνω (amavróno) — defame, sully
  • Polish: oczerniać — defame, sully
  • Polish: oczernić — defame, sully
  • Portuguese: conspurcar — defame, sully
  • Portuguese: denegrir — defame, sully
  • Russian: черни́ть (černítʹ) — defame, sully
  • Russian: очерня́ть (očernjátʹ) — defame, sully
  • Russian: очерни́ть (očernítʹ) — defame, sully
  • Slovak: očierniť — defame, sully
  • Spanish: tiznar — defame, sully
  • Swedish: svärta ner — defame, sully
  • Arabic: اِسْوَدَّ (iswadda) — become black
  • Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܐܵܟܹܡ (ākēm) — become black
  • Azerbaijani: qaralmaq — become black
  • Belarusian: чарне́ць (čarnjécʹ) — become black
  • Belarusian: пачарне́ць (pačarnjécʹ) — become black
  • Bulgarian: почернявам (počernjavam) — become black
  • Esperanto: nigriĝi — become black
  • Finnish: musteta — become black
  • Finnish: mustaantua — become black
  • French: noircir — become black
  • Galician: denegrir — become black
  • German: verdunkeln — become black
  • Hungarian: befeketedik — become black
  • Ido: nigreskar — become black
  • Ingrian: musseta — become black
  • Italian: annerirsi — become black
  • Marathi: काळे होणे (kāḷe hoṇe) — become black
  • Polish: czernieć — become black
  • Polish: sczernieć — become black
  • Polish: poczernieć — become black
  • Portuguese: enegrecer — become black
  • Russian: черне́ть (černétʹ) — become black
  • Russian: почерне́ть (počernétʹ) — become black
  • Slovak: sčernieť — become black
  • Slovak: stmavnúť — become black
  • Slovak: zotmieť — become black
  • Swedish: svartna — become black
  • Tamil: கரு (karu) — become black
  • Telugu: నల్లబడు (nallabaḍu) — become black
  • Turkish: kararmak — become black
  • Ukrainian: чорні́ти (čorníty) — become black
  • Ukrainian: почорні́ти (počorníty) — become black
  • Ukrainian: зчорні́ти (zčorníty) — become black
Real reading context

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