verb · neutral
blacken
/ˈblækən/BLACK·en
Band 6-7speakingtask2
to make something black or darker; figuratively, to damage someone's reputation
Examples
“Smoke blackened the walls of the old house.”
“The tabloid was accused of trying to blacken the politician's name.”
“Continuous pollution has blackened the once-clear river.”
Band 8 sentence
“Rather than confront the allegations, the company attempted to blacken critics and distract public attention.”
Collocations
- blacken someone's name/reputation
- blacken the walls/skin
Word family
blacken verbblackens verb (3rd sg)blackening verb (gerund/pres.part) / nounblackened verb / adjective (past participle)
Common mistakes
They blackened his name by many news.→They blackened his name in many news stories.
The smoke blackened on the ceiling.→The smoke blackened the ceiling.
Say it for a higher band
5make black→6tarnish→7+blacken
Synonyms
tarnish
Easily confused
tarnish
“The scandal tarnished the singer's reputation for several years.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In -en
Learn it with its set