redden

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈrɛdən/ UK /ˈrɛdən/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like leaden /l/ vs /r/

Meanings

1

verb
to make or become red, especially to flush or blush

Her cheeks reddened at the unexpected compliment.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to make or become red,... blush flush crimson color rouge

Opposites

whiten pale blanch

Word family

Derived forms reddenedreddening

Related forms red reddish ruddy

Etymology

From red + -en (verb-forming suffix). Red is from Old English rēad, from Proto-Germanic *raudaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rewdʰ- ('red').

rēad Old English *raudaz Proto-Germanic *h₁rewdʰ- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# redden

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈrɛdən/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈrɛdən/

## Meanings
1. to make or become red, especially to flush or blush

## Examples
- Her cheeks reddened at the unexpected compliment.

## Synonyms
- blush
- flush
- crimson
- color
- rouge

## Antonyms
- whiten
- pale
- blanch

## Derived Forms
- reddened
- reddening

## Related Forms
- red
- reddish
- ruddy

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: rēad
- Root: *raudaz
- Root: *h₁rewdʰ-

## Etymology
From red + -en (verb-forming suffix). Red is from Old English rēad, from Proto-Germanic *raudaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rewdʰ- ('red').

## AI Etymology
Redden comes from red + -en (verb-forming suffix). Red is from Old English rēad, from Proto-Germanic *raudaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rewdʰ- ('red'). The historical chain includes Old English rēad, Proto-Germanic *raudaz, and Proto-Indo-European *h₁rewdʰ-. Older glosses in the chain include "red", which help explain the semantic range of the modern word. Morphologically, redden is best read as compound, suffixal formation, and borrowing, yielding an English verb shaped by both form history and later usage. In current English it functions as a verb, with the sense "to make or become red, especially to flush or blush". English derivatives include reddened and reddening; related forms include red, reddish, and ruddy. The result is an English verb whose etymology preserves the older forms while supporting the word's specialized modern meaning.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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