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whitener

whitener

2 3.8
A substance that makes teeth or clothes look lighter
  • noun
  • /ˈhwaɪtənər/
translation icon : blanqueador
  • Teeth whiteners should never be used until you have consulted with your dentist.
  • tooth whitener
  • whitener and brightener
  • home whitener

Examples

  • And Heloise, put some whitener on your legs, your freckles are showing through.

  • Um, all right, for example, is teeth whitener a good idea?

  • Years ago, I found a whitener and brightener sold at Wal-Mart and have since become a huge fan of it.

    Blog text (18)
  • Since then, I switched to using lemon juice; it's a natural whitener, and your clothes do not come out smelling like lemons!

    Blog text (5)
  • Vander dumped the same heaping teaspoons of whitener and sugar into my cup as he dumped into his own.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Use your citrus vinegar in any of your cleaning recipes, or dilute it in water for a great floor cleaner, window washer, laundry freshener/whitener, etc.

    Blog text (18)
  • I just bought a new teeth whitener to improve my smile.

  • The dentist recommended a safe and effective whitener for my teeth.

  • Using a teeth whitener can help remove stains caused by coffee and tea.

Synonyms

bleach
vswhitener
49 3.3

A strong liquid used to make things white and kill germs

focuses on making whiteness rather than cleaning or disinfection
lightener
vswhitener
1 4.8

A product used to make hair, skin, or wood lighter in color

causes a change to paler tones rather than creating full whiteness
bleaching agent
vswhitener
  • Specialized
1 3.7

A chemical used to make things white or remove their color

is a general substance term rather than focusing on removal by chemistry
blanching agent
vswhitener
  • Specialized
7.6

A chemical that removes color from food and cloth to make them white

emphasizes removing impurities rather than being the general maker of white
brightener
vswhitener
3.7

A product added to laundry to make clothes look whiter and brighter

actually makes things white or colorless rather than only improving appearance
zinc white
vswhitener
  • Specialized
5.7

A white paint color made from zinc used in paintings

adds white by covering surfaces, not by removing their color
Chinese white
vswhitener
  • Specialized
8.1

A strong white paint used to make colours lighter in paintings and drawings

is a covering pigment choice rather than a product that removes color

How Strong

bleach
49 3.3
whitener
2 3.8

Surface Forms

whitener singular
whiteners plural

Morphology

whitener = whiten (transparent) = white + en + er

The word 'whitener' is transparently derived from 'whiten' with the addition of the agentive suffix '-er', indicating something that performs the action of making white.

Etymology

The word whitener comes from the simple word white plus the endings -en ('to make') and -er ('something that does'), so it literally means 'something that makes things white'.