as in bleaches
to make white or whiter by removing color
years of sunlight had almost completely whitened the flag
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Recent Examples of whitens
According to Hill, good old-fashioned sunlight naturally kills bacteria, refreshes items, and whitens fabrics.
—
Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Jan. 2026
Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whitens
Verb
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His owner, Hannah Gleason from Oklahoma, told Newsweek that the merle gene isn’t a coloring gene rather than a gene that bleaches the fur and causes lack of pigmentation which can lead to birth defects, blindness, deafness, or sometimes all three.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The animation is crisp and gorgeous, and there are a few moments of stylization — such as when the main character Coco floats in the air with her mentor Qifrey and the world around them fades from frame — that captures a taste of what makes the manga such a visual triumph.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
3 Apr. 2026
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Most regular solo diners say discomfort fades after the first few times trying it.—
Lauren Schuster,
Miami Herald,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Now, as March brightens into April, the half-dozen lawmakers charged with crafting that gargantuan document are nearly finished.—
The Denver Post,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2026
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Lush, vibrant and full of life, California Tropicals instantly brightens any space while adding fresh, feel-good energy.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whitens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whitens. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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