black-and-white

1 of 3

adjective

1
: partly black and partly white in color
2
: being in writing or print
3
: executed in dark pigment on a light background or in light pigment on a dark ground
a black-and-white drawing
4
: monochrome sense 2
black-and-white film
black-and-white television
5
a
: sharply divided into good and evil
b
: evaluating or viewing things as either all good or all bad
black-and-white morality
c
: sharply defined : clear-cut
the truth is not always black-and-white

black-and-white

2 of 3

noun (1)

black and white

3 of 3

noun (2)

1
2
: a drawing or print done in black and white or in monochrome
3
: monochrome reproduction of visual images (as by photography or television)

Examples of black-and-white in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
A couple sat at the bar in low light, and the place, for a moment, carried the feel of another time, like a scene in an old black-and-white movie. Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024 Steele’s performance as the evil, immortal witch will make your blood run cold, with her steely distance contrasting with the movie’s lush black-and-white cinematography. Katie Rife, EW.com, 12 Mar. 2024 The actress wore a mesh black shirt over a black bra and white shorts, while Meyer sported black-and-white clothing, which made for the ultimate couple’s moment. Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024 Baptiste, 26, looked stunning in a strapless black-and-white gown with an Old Hollywood inspired updo, while Evans, 42, went for an atypical red suit from Dolce & Gabbana for the black-tie event. Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 11 Mar. 2024 The early scenes, rendered in black-and-white, were bold, bombastic, spectacular—conversations turned into dance sequences at the drop of a hat. Maya Binyam, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 Luckily, this black-and-white card set is available as an individual product! Maya Polton, Parents, 8 Mar. 2024 The two announced their daughter’s arrival with a sweet black-and-white photo of them cuddling with the newborn. Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024 His computer’s desktop showed a black-and-white closeup of Diana Ross. Ronan Farrow, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2024
Noun
Tanaka, 39, chose a sweet black-and-white shot of the couple smiling together to share alongside his birthday message. Rachel Desantis, Peoplemag, 28 Mar. 2023 While most Americans had a TV by the early 1960s, most of those were black-and-white sets. Matt Novak, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2023 The birds flitted from corner to corner in their cages, quick little sprites with black-and-white breasts and flame-orange beaks. Burkhard Bilger, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2023 Natural light pours in from body-length windows, accentuating the black-and-white industrial aesthetic of the salon, which is complimented by colorful street art. Julian E.j. Sorapuru, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Mar. 2023 The Instagram carousel includes several black-and-white photos of Grande wearing white gloves, a polka-dot dress and her iconic ponytail, and Erivo sporting a plaid dress, tall dark boots and hoop earrings. Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Mar. 2023 In the first three black-and-white pictures, Grande and Erivo are wearing very cute outfits, with Grande in a strapless polkadot gown with opera gloves. Aimée Lutkin, ELLE, 26 Mar. 2023 Tybee Island, Georgia Grassy sand dunes and a historic black-and-white striped lighthouse bring a quaint coastal feel to Tybee Island, about 18 miles from Savannah. Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 25 Mar. 2023 The nine members’ work is mostly in color but contains some black-and-white pictures. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 24 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'black-and-white.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

from a common color scheme for such cars

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (1)

1958, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1569, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of black-and-white was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near black-and-white

black-and-tan coonhound

black-and-white

black and white

Cite this Entry

“Black-and-white.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/black-and-white. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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