- to make or become black or dirty
- (transitive) to defame; slander (esp in the phrase blacken someone's name)
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
black•ened
(blak′ənd),USA pronunciation adj.
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026- Food(esp. of fish) coated with spices and sautéed quickly over high heat so that the outside chars.
black•en /ˈblækən/USA pronunciation
v.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to (cause to) grow or become black: [~ + object]The commandos blackened their faces.[no object]The sky blackened.
- to speak evil of;
defame;
slander:[~ + object]They blackened their opponent's good name.
black•en
(blak′ən),USA pronunciation v.t.
v.i.
black′en•er, n.
- to make black;
darken. - to speak evil of;
defame:to blacken a person's reputation.
v.i.
- to grow or become black.
- 1250–1300; Middle English; see black, -en1
- 2. . denigrate, smear, slander, villify, libel, traduce, calumniate.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
blacken /ˈblækən/ vb
'blackened' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
atrium
- melanism
- phylactery
- reduce
- reducer
- black shank
- black stem
- corked
- ustulate
- waste
- sooty