whitened 1 of 2

adjective

1
as in white

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in bleached

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

whitened

2 of 2

verb

past tense of whiten
as in faded
to make white or whiter by removing color years of sunlight had almost completely whitened the flag

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of whitened
Adjective
Water Stains Rub a small amount of oil, like mayonnaise or vegetable oil, on the whitened area; natural oils should suffice. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 1 Sep. 2026
Verb
As the years have gone on and his hair has whitened, Gere has become nearly as famous for his charity and his spirituality as his acting. — Allen Salkin, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026 Pairs that make the cut are cleaned from the sole upward, disinfected inside and, in some cases, whitened under UV light before being put back into circulation. — ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026 My knuckles whitened against the steering wheel. — MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whitened
  1. white
  2. bleached
  3. faded
  4. waxen
  5. washed
  6. sallow
  7. purified
  8. waxy
Adjective
  • But in terms of student achievement, Asian students have performed more like white students, frequently surpassing white students academically.
    — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Coinciding with the event is the Nights of Lights celebration (November 21–January 8), when tiny white lights illuminate the town’s architecture, oak trees, and waterfront—including the Bridge of Lions, Lightner Museum, and Plaza de la Constitución.
    — Jessica Sulima, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of white
Adjective
  • Collins and his colleagues also tested different durations of contact between healthy and bleached corals.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Applying silver color directly onto bleached yellow hair is a recipe for green strands.
    — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of bleached
Verb
  • The ritual has faded and has been downgraded to a monthly reception.
    — John T. Shaw, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • This seemed at the time like the biggest misstep of Stearns’ tenure, as the Brewers faded afterward and missed the playoffs.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of faded
Adjective
  • Instead, the moss’s telltale sign of woe is its glum, grayish hue, a waxen appearance that comes from ferns and algae that have crept over it.
    — Sabrina Imbler, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Dec. 2020
Definition of waxen
Adjective
  • Made from naturally breathable, skin-friendly, pre-washed linen, the quilt is designed to hold up for years while growing softer with every wash.
    — Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Aug. 2026
  • As the Cyclospora outbreak grows, experts recommend washing all fresh produce that hasn’t been pre-washed—not just lettuce.
    — Sarah Garone, HEALTH, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of washed
Adjective
  • The zombie – slow moving, with sallow complexion, hollow eyes, rotting teeth and a hunger for human flesh – has been lumbering through Hollywood movies for decades now.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The women looked terrible—bruised and sallow—and smelled even worse.
    — Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of sallow
Adjective
  • Scaling remains major challenge Beyond reducing errors, Google’s researchers demonstrated that the purified quantum states could be transferred between two different error-correction methods.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026
  • By 2023, Amazon Web Services was using purified wastewater in 20 data centers.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of purified
Adjective
  • Somehow, Garfield’s Altman’s face gets younger and waxier as this happens.
    — Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Our clues to the density of forest canopies millions of years ago came from microscopic plant cuticles – the thin, waxy outer skin of leaves that can survive for millions of years in organic-rich sediments.
    — Regan E. Dunn, The Conversation, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of waxy

Browse Nearby Words

whiten
whitened
whiteness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Whitened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whitened. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of jilt

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All