This shows grade level based on the word's complexity. This shows grade level based on the word's complexity. adjective, black·er, black·est. being a color that lacks hue and brightness and absorbs light without reflecting any of the rays composing it: They labeled the boxes with a black permanent marker. characterized by absence of light; enveloped in darkness: a black night. soiled or stained with dirt: That shirt was black within an hour. deliberately harmful; inexcusable: a black lie. boding ill; sullen or hostile;
threatening: black words;black looks. (of coffee or tea) without milk or cream: I take my coffee black. without any moral quality or goodness; evil;
wicked: His black heart has concocted yet another black deed. indicating censure, disgrace, or liability to punishment: a black mark on one's record. marked by disaster or misfortune: black areas of drought; Black Friday. wearing black or dark clothing or armor: the black prince. based
on the grotesque, morbid, or unpleasant aspects of life: black comedy;black humor. (of a check mark, flag, etc.) done or written in black to indicate, as on a list, that which is undesirable, substandard, potentially dangerous, etc.: Pilots put a black flag next to the ten most dangerous airports. illegal or underground: The black economy pays no taxes. showing a profit; not showing any
losses: the first black quarter in two years. deliberately false or intentionally misleading: black propaganda. British. boycotted, as certain goods or products by a trade union. (of steel) in the form in which it comes from the rolling mill or forge; unfinished. noun the color at one extreme end
of the scale of grays, opposite to white, absorbing all light incident upon it.Compare white (def. 19). black clothing, especially as a sign of mourning: He wore black at the funeral. Chess, Checkers. the dark-colored men or pieces or squares. black pigment: lamp
black. a horse or other animal that is entirely black. verb (used with object) to make black; put black on; blacken. British. to boycott or ban. to polish (shoes, boots, etc.) with
blacking. verb (used without object) to become black; take on a black color; blacken. adverb (of coffee or tea) served without milk or cream. Verb Phrases black out,
OTHER WORDS FOR black
OPPOSITES FOR black
QUIZ
SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?
Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!
Question 1 of 6
Which form is commonly used with other verbs to express intention?
Idioms about black
- print or writing: I want that agreement in black and white.
- a monochromatic picture done with black and white only.
- a chocolate soda containing vanilla ice cream.
- Slang. a highly recognizable police car, used to patrol a community.
black and white,
black or white, completely either one way or another, without any intermediate state.
in the black, operating at a profit or being out of debt (opposed to in the red): New production methods put the company in the black.
Origin of black
First recorded before 900; Middle English blak, Old English blæc; cognate with Old High German blah- (used only in compounds); akin to Old Norse blakkr “black,” blek “ink”; from Germanic blakaz, past participle of blakjan “to burn,” from a root meaning “to shine, flash, burn”
OTHER WORDS FROM black
black·ish, adjectiveblack·ish·ly, adverbblack·ish·ness, nounnon·black, adjective, noun
un·blacked, adjectivewell-blacked, adjective
Words nearby black
bl., B.L.A., blab, blabber, blabbermouth, black, black acacia, blackacre, black alder, blackamoor, black-and-blue
Other definitions for black (2 of 3)
adjective See Usage note at the current entry. noun
Often Offensive. (Use as a noun in reference to a person, e.g., “a Black,” is often considered offensive.) See Usage note at the current entry.
Origin of Black
1
usage note for Black
Black may be capitalized when used in reference to people, as a sign of respect. The case for capitalizing the initial letter ( Black ) is further supported by the fact that the names of many other ethnic groups and nationalities use initial capital letters, e.g., Hispanic.
Black as an adjective referring to a
person or people is unlikely to cause negative reactions. As a noun, however, it does often offend. The use of the plural noun without an article is somewhat more accepted (home ownership among Blacks ); however, the plural noun with an article is more likely to offend (political issues affecting the Blacks ), and the singular noun is especially likely to offend (The small business proprietor is a Black ). Use the adjective instead: Black
homeowners, Black voters, a Black business proprietor.
In the United States, there is a complex social history for words that name or describe the dark-skinned peoples of sub-Saharan Africa and their descendants. A term that was once acceptable may now be offensive, and one that was once offensive may now be acceptable. Colored, for example, first used in colonial North America, was an appropriate referential term until the 1920s, when it was
supplanted by Negro. Now colored is perceived not only as old-fashioned but offensive. It survives primarily in the name of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), an organization formed when the word was not considered derogatory. Describing someone as a person of color, however, is not usually offensive. That term, an inclusive one that can refer to anyone who is not white, is frequently used by members of the Black
community. Using “of color” can emphasize commonalities in nonwhite lives. However, when referring to a group of people who are all Black, it is more appropriate to be specific. Failure to explicitly reference blackness when it is exclusively appropriate, generalizing “Black” to “of color,” can be a form of erasure.
Negro remained the overwhelming term of choice until the mid-1960s. That decade saw a burgeoning civil rights movement, which furthered a sense that
Negro was contaminated by its long association with discrimination as well as its closeness to the disparaging and deeply offensive N-word. The emergence of the Black Power movement fostered the emergence of Black as a primary descriptive term, as in “Black pride.” By the mid-1970s Black had become common within and outside the Black community. But Negro
has not entirely disappeared. It remains in the names of such organizations as the United Negro College Fund, people still refer to Negro spirituals, and some older Black people continue to identify with the term they have known since childhood. So Negro , while not offensive in established or historical contexts, is now looked upon in contemporary speech and writing as not only antiquated but highly likely to offend.
During the 1980s, many Americans sought to display pride in
their immigrant origins. Linguistically, this brought about a brief period of short-form hyphenated designations, like Italo-Americans and Greco-Americans. The Black community also embraced the existing term Afro-American, a label that emphasized geographical or ethnic heritage over skin color. The related label, African American, also saw an increase in use among activists in the 1970s and 1980s. African American was even more
widely adopted in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s after high-profile Black leaders advocated for it, arguing, as Jesse Jackson did, that the term brought “proper historical context” and had “cultural integrity.” While African American has not completely replaced Black in common parlance, it works both as a noun and as an adjective.
This shifting from term to term has not been smooth or linear, and periods of change like the late 1960s were often marked by
confusion as to which term was appropriate. The 1967 groundbreaking film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, about a young interracial couple hoping that both sets of parents will accept their plans to marry, reflects the abundance of terminological choices available at the time. Various characters talk of a “colored girl,” a “colored man,” a “Negro,” and “Black people.” The N-word appears once, used disparagingly by one Black character to another. African American had not
yet made it into the mix.
historical usage of Black
Other definitions for black (3 of 3)
noun Hu·go La·fa·yette [hyoo-goh laf-ey-et], /ˈhyu goʊ ˌlæf eɪˈɛt/, 1886–1971, U.S. political official: associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court 1937–71. (Sir) James Whyte [sur jeymzhwahyt, wahyt], /ˌsɜr ˈdʒeɪmz ʰwaɪt, waɪt/, 1924–2010, English pharmacologist: Nobel prize 1988. Jo·seph [joh-zuhf, -suhf], /ˈdʒoʊ zəf, -səf/, 1728–99, Scottish physician and chemist. Shir·ley Tem·ple [shur-lee tem-puhl], /ˈʃɜr li ˈtɛm pəl/, Temple, Shirley.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
Words related to black
ebony, raven, jet, onyx, obsidian, pitch-black, sunless, unlit, dismal, gloomy, dirty, soiled, stained, angered, angry, annoyed, cross, furious, irate, irritated
How to use black in a sentence
Cars piled up at intersections under blacked-out stoplights.
Despite requests from Wilkinson’s attorneys and The Post to limit redactions, large swaths of the documents were blacked out.
She filmed herself toughing out her symptoms, which included an intense migraine, a 104-degree fever, and almost blacking out while taking the test.
Bekele started to ask the paramedics what happened to his wife and children but blacked out before he could get the words out.
The woman “did not consent to any of this conduct” and “blacked out for a few minutes from the fear,” according to the lawsuit.
The world that Black Dynamite lives in is not the most PC place to be in.
Music is a huge part of the tone of Black Dynamite overall—going back to the original 2009 movie on which the series is based.
How far has Congress really evolved on race when in 50 years it has gone from one black senator to two?
Even the arguably more democratic House is only at 10 percent black members.
But in the case of black women, another study found no lack of interest.
Suddenly, however, he became aware of a small black spot far ahead in the very middle of the unencumbered track.
The lady in black was reading her morning devotions on the porch of a neighboring bathhouse.
The lady in black, creeping behind them, looked a trifle paler and more jaded than usual.
A little black girl sat on the floor, and with her hands worked the treadle of the machine.
Under the long lashes of low lids a pair of eyes black and insolent set off the haughty lines of her scarlet lips.
British Dictionary definitions for black (1 of 3)
adjective of the colour of jet or carbon black, having no hue due to the absorption of all or nearly all incident lightCompare white (def. 1) without light; completely dark without hope or alleviation;
gloomythe future looked black very dirty or soiledblack factory chimneys angry or resentfulshe gave him black looks (of a play or other work) dealing with the unpleasant realities of life, esp in a pessimistic or macabre mannerblack comedy (of coffee or tea) without milk or cream causing, resulting
from, or showing great misfortuneblack areas of unemployment
causing or deserving dishonour or censurea black crime
(of the face) purple, as from suffocation
British (of goods, jobs, works, etc) being subject to boycott by trade unionists, esp in support of industrial action elsewhere
noun
a black colour
a dye or pigment of or producing this colour
black clothing, worn esp as a sign of mourning
chess draughts
- a black or dark-coloured piece or square
- (usually capital) the player playing with such pieces
complete darknessthe black of the night
a black ball in snooker, etc
(in roulette and other gambling games) one of two colours on which players may place even bets, the other being red
in the blackin credit or without debt
archerya black ring on a target, between the outer and the blue, scoring three points
verb
(tr)to polish (shoes, etc) with blacking
(tr)to bruise so as to make blackhe blacked her eye
(tr) British, Australian and NZ(of trade unionists) to organize a boycott of (specified goods, jobs, work, etc), esp in support of industrial action elsewhere
Derived forms of black
blackish, adjectiveblackishly, adverbblackly, adverbblackness, noun
Word Origin for black
Old English blæc; related to Old Saxon blak ink, Old High German blakra to blink
British Dictionary definitions for black (2 of 3)
noun a member of a human population having dark pigmentation of the skin adjective
of or relating to a Black person or Black peoplea Black neighbourhood
usage for Black
Talking about a Black or Blacks is considered offensive and it is better to talk about a Black person, Black people
British Dictionary definitions for black (3 of 3)
noun
Sir James (Whyte). 1924–2010, British biochemist. He discovered beta-blockers and drugs for peptic ulcers: Nobel prize for physiology or medicine 1988 Joseph . 1728–99, Scottish physician and chemist, noted for his pioneering work on carbon dioxide and heat
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Medical definitions for black
Black
Sir James Whyte Born 1924
British pharmacologist. He shared a 1988 Nobel Prize for developing drugs to treat heart disease and stomach and duodenal ulcers.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Scientific definitions for black (1 of 2)
Black
Sir James Whyte 1924-2010
British pharmacologist who discovered the first beta-blocker, which led to the development of safer and more effective drugs to treat high blood pressure and heart disease. Black also developed a blocker for gastric acid production that revolutionized the treatment of stomach ulcers. He shared with Gertrude Elion and George Hitchings the 1988 Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine.
Scientific definitions for black (2 of 2)
British chemist who in 1756 discovered carbon dioxide, which he called fixed air. In addition to further studies of carbon dioxide, Black formulated the concepts of latent heat and heat capacity.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with black
In addition to the idioms beginning with black
- black and blue
- black and white
- black as night
- black book
- black eye
- black hole
- black list
- black look
- black mark
- black out
- black sheep
also see:
- dirty (black) look
- in the red (black)
- look black
- paint black
- pot calling the kettle black
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.