blackface

noun

black·​face ˈblak-ˌfās 

often attributive

1

: dark makeup worn to mimic the appearance of a Black person and especially to mock or ridicule Black people

specifically, historical : such makeup worn by white entertainers (as in minstrel shows) performing racist caricatures of Black people

Note: The wearing of blackface by white performers was, from the early 19th through the mid-20th centuries, a prominent feature of minstrel shows (see minstrel sense 3a) and similar forms of entertainment featuring exaggerated and inaccurate caricatures of Black people. The use of blackface is considered deeply offensive.

compare brownface, yellowface

2

plural blackfaces : a performer wearing blackface : minstrel sense 3a

Examples of blackface in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The character is often portrayed by white actors in blackface. — Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2026

During season 5, for instance, an old photo of Anton dressed in blackface at a party was released. — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 21 May 2026

Years later, during the Black Lives Matter movement, the clips of him in blackface surfaced once again. — Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026

Performers were often white people who donned blackface to mock Black people through song, dance and slapstick comedy. — A.d. Carson, The Conversation, 6 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1847, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing blackface

• digital blackface

Rhymes for blackface

• abase
• airspace
• apace
• backspace
• biface
• birthplace
• boldface
• bookcase
• braincase
• briefcase
• carcase
• crankcase