reddening

verb

present participle of redden
as in blushing
to develop a rosy facial color (as from excitement or embarrassment) his face reddened when she flashed him a dazzling smile

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 reddening Pro wrestling is often viewed as a fake form of fighting, but the flips, jumps and landings are very real — slaps and kicks landed on reddening skin echo throughout SPW’s venues. — Sacbee.com, 24 July 2026 There should be no pain or skin reddening during a proper session, and therapists avoid working over active swelling, infection or skin that’s undergone cancer treatment. — Allison Palmer, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026 Rose, though, reddening in the triangle between his eyes and nose, begins to sob. — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 2 June 2026 His huddles at times resemble a family Sunday supper after the conversation turns to politics – everyone yelling, nobody listening, Izzo’s face reddening and a whiteboard left broken, the innocent victim of all the arguing (though they are rumored to be pre-cut to avoid splintering). — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 19 Mar. 2026 Warning signs include yellowing within a week of infestation, purpling or reddening of leaves, stunting despite adequate moisture, weakening root systems and patchy areas of thinning or dead grass. — Christina Shaw, FOXNews.com, 12 Dec. 2025 The front lawn falls steeply away from the house and on down to the fence, a garden overgrown with reddening watsonias. — Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025 Visible light has been shown to trigger erythema, or skin reddening, in lighter skin. — Andrea Muraskin, NPR, 23 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reddening
  1. blushing
  2. flushing
  3. glowing
Verb
  • Soon, though, the musicians fill in the midrange with blushing chords and a bell-tone melody that pulls gently away from the root note, creating a gentle tension.
    — Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 4 Aug. 2026
  • That gradually began to change over a few hours of Colquitt’s patient mending, shadowing, blushing, and eyelash-affixing.
    — John Semley, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026
Definition of blushing
Verb
  • The dart to Odunze came with Williams flushing to his right away from pressure in the end zone and then putting a heater on his receiver, who had created separation against Jaylon Johnson.
    — Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Smoke events leave residue behind; the guidelines include protocols for flushing spaces and verifying air quality once the event passes.
    — Sissi Liu, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of flushing
Verb
  • Yet underneath the glowing case studies lies a quiet crisis, which is AI fatigue.
    — Khadim Batti, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Give yourself the treat of waking up with amazing hair and skin with this mulberry silk pillowcase, which has over 10,000 glowing reviews at Amazon.
    — Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of glowing

Browse Nearby Words

reddened
reddening
reddens
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Reddening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reddening. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on reddening

Nglish: Translation of reddening for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of divulge

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
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
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All