black

1 of 3

adjective

ˈblak

Synonyms of black next

: having the very dark color of the night sky or the eye's pupil : of the color black (see black entry 2 sense 2)

a black sweater

a black dog

as black as coal

Black or less commonly black

: of or relating to any of various population groups of especially African ancestry often considered as having dark pigmentation of the skin but in fact having a wide range of skin colors

Black Americans

Note: Capitalization of Black in this use is now widely established.

: of or relating to Black people and often especially to African American people or their culture

Black literature

a Black college

Black pride

Black studies

Note: Capitalization of Black in this use is now widely established.

: dressed in black (see black entry 2 sense 2)

playing for the black team

: dirty, soiled

hands black with grime

: characterized by the absence of light

a black night

: reflecting or transmitting little or no light

black water

: served without milk or cream

black coffee

old-fashioned + literary : thoroughly sinister or evil : wicked

When the King heard of this black deed, in his grief and rage he denounced relentless war against his Barons …—

Charles Dickens

: indicative of condemnation or discredit

got a black mark for being late

: heavy, serious

the play was a black intrigue

: connected with or invoking the supernatural and especially the devil

black magic

the black arts

: very sad, gloomy, or calamitous

black despair

: marked by the occurrence of disaster

black Friday

: characterized by hostility or angry discontent : sullen

black resentment filled his heart

: distorted or darkened by anger

his face was black with rage

: having dark skin, hair, and eyes

the black Irish

chiefly British : subject to boycott by trade-union members as employing or favoring nonunion workers or as operating under conditions considered unfair by the trade union

a ship that was declared black by the union

of propaganda : conducted so as to appear to originate within an enemy country and designed to weaken enemy morale

Black propaganda … is the business of going to elaborate ends to spread half-true, misleading or downright false information to get your enemy in trouble.—

Everett G. Martin

: characterized by or connected with the use of black propaganda

Press reports say that in addition to dropping leaflets over urban areas, messages were broadcast over two "black" radio stations, … both of which were operated by the CIA.—

Strategic Intelligence

: characterized by grim, distorted, or grotesque satire

black humor

: of or relating to covert intelligence operations

black government programs

: having a very deep or low register (see register entry 1 sense 4b)

a bass with a black voice

blackish

ˈbla-kish

adjective

blackly adverb

black

2 of 3

noun

: a pigment or dye of the color black : a black pigment or dye

especially : one consisting largely of carbon

: the achromatic (see achromatic sense 3) color of least lightness characteristically perceived to belong to objects that neither reflect nor transmit light

walls painted in black

: something that is black: such as

: black clothing

looks good in black

: a black animal (such as a horse)

baseball : the narrow, black edge of home plate

a pitch on the black [=a pitch that crosses over the very edge of home plate]

Black or less commonly black

: a person belonging to any of various population groups of especially African ancestry often considered as having dark pigmentation of the skin but in fact having a wide range of skin colors

Note: Capitalization of Black in this use is now widely established.

: african american

Note: Capitalization of Black in this use is now widely established.

Note: Use of the noun Black in the singular to refer to a person is considered offensive. The plural form Blacks is still commonly used by Black people and others to refer to Black people as a group or community, but the plural form too is increasingly considered offensive, and most style guides advise writers to use Black people rather than Blacks when practical.

in board games : the pieces of a dark color in a board game for two players (such as chess)

black moves second

: total or nearly total absence of light

the black of night

: the condition of making a profit

—usually used with the

operating in the black

compare red sense 6

black

3 of 3

verb

blacked; blacking; blacks

intransitive verb

: to become black (see black entry 1) : blacken

As she leaned against the stone cross … , the sky blacked with clouds.—

Hugh Coleman Davidson

transitive verb

: to make black

blacked his boots

chiefly British : to declare (something, such as a business or industry) subject to boycott by trade-union members

Examples of black in a Sentence

Adjective we adopted a little black kitten Noun The wall was painted in black. a mixture of grays and blacks She was dressed in black. Verb He blacked his boots with polish. Labor union members have blacked the company. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Lovato appeared in a monochromatic black outfit, paired with matching jet-black loose waves, parted down the middle with the ends flowing towards her chest. —

Gabi Thorne, Allure, 11 Sep. 2023 The Canadian guild and union also contend the role of script coordinators in recent years has increasingly been filled by workers from underrepresented communities, including writers who are black, indigenous and People of Color. —

Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Sep. 2023 Remnants of black eyeliner around her eyes and in her waterline remained. —

Gabi Thorne, Allure, 30 Aug. 2023 In another snap, Hadid leaned against a railing in front of an oceanside sunset, wearing a strapless black Buci minidress. —

Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 30 Aug. 2023 Bonus: There's beer, pretzels, and black forest cake aplenty. BOOK NOW Hotel Post Senior Editor Sienna is a senior editor at Hearst. —

Hadley Mendelsohn, House Beautiful, 30 Aug. 2023 After nine years in silver and black, Derek Carr is still getting used to wearing different colors for the first time in his NFL career. —

Tyler Dragon, USA TODAY, 19 Aug. 2023 Kelly Smith makes the case for a pink Christmas tree, which features black, white, and gold ornaments and a matching tree stand worth showing off in any apartment, big or small. —

Rachel Silva, ELLE Decor, 18 Aug. 2023 In another, Adonis wore a pair of black headphones, holding his dad's arm as Drake sang down to him. —

Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 18 Aug. 2023

Noun

Previously, the red edition of the re-recording had only been available as a Target exclusive, while the vinyl sold from Swift’s official webstore was just basic black when the album was released in Nov. 2021. —

Glenn Rowley, Billboard, 2 Feb. 2023 Take your pick from black to mocha to crisp, winter white. —

Taylor Jean Stephan, Peoplemag, 31 Jan. 2023 Other restrictions and black-out dates also may apply, the airline said. —

Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 31 Jan. 2023 Flaunt this fun, floral style, or opt for their best-selling classic black. —

Meg Donohue, Town & Country, 31 Jan. 2023 In his use of gold and black, Gupta incorporated ancient Egypt. —

Allyson Portee, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2023 Everyone observed by wearing black – or jet -- accessories. —

Brenda Yenke, cleveland, 26 Jan. 2023 Available in stainless steel or black, this is the largest capacity electric oven in its class, according to LG. —

Eva Bleyer, Good Housekeeping, 26 Jan. 2023 Ava style in black and cream, Doen’s velvet slippers and Aeyde’s square-toe ballerina pumps, has made fancy flats a staple of her everyday wardrobe, and styles them with everything from denim to jumpsuits. —

Alice Cary, Vogue, 26 Jan. 2023

Verb

While the rest of the kitchen prepares the gooey mac and cheese, crisp coleslaw and signature BBQ rice to be served as sides, Sebastian slides on a pair of thick rubber gloves burned to black at the fingertips. —

Camryn Brewer, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2023 The show cuts to black with Kendall starring blankly at the river ahead, but that’s not where actor Jeremy Strong was ready to leave Kendall during filming. —

Zack Sharf, Variety, 30 May 2023 Getty Images Getty Images Lisa and Zendaya stuck to black off-the-shoulder looks, with Lisa wearing a silky black dress with a dramatic cape and straps. —

Alyssa Bailey, ELLE, 17 May 2023 The show cuts to black with Kendall starring blankly at the river ahead, but Strong tried to take things further. —

Variety, NBC News, 5 June 2023 Or did the aforementioned editor cut to black each time? —

Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 May 2023 Browns have become a popular alternative to black as they are better suited to play off the tones and materials that are sweeping the design world, like terracotta and shades of green. —

Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Apr. 2023 While you may be drawn straight to black, don’t overlook the bombshell red or hot pink colors (there are a few more to choose from, too). —

Jill Schildhouse, Travel + Leisure, 25 Apr. 2023 Choose from five color options, from ivory to chestnut to black. —

Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 18 Apr. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'black.' 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

Adjective

Middle English blak, blake, going back to Old English blæc, blac "black, (of other colors) dark," going back to West Germanic *blaka- (whence also Old Saxon blak "ink," Middle Low German black, blak, Middle Dutch blak, Old High German blah- only in compounds, as blahfaro "ink-colored, deep blue"), perhaps adjectival derivative of a verb *blakōn- (whence Middle Dutch & Middle Low German blaken "to burn, scorch"), from a verbal base *blak- (whence also Old High German blecken, blec(c)hen "to flash [of lightning], shine, sparkle" < *blakjan-), o-grade ablaut of Indo-European *b^hleg- "shine, be bright" — more at phlegm

Note: For this etymology to work, the original meaning of *blaka- would have been "burned, scorched," then, by a not implausible shift, "blackened by fire," then simply "black." In Old English, blæc is sometimes spelled blac, which creates potential confusion with blāc "bright, shining, pale, pallid," ordinarily not spelled with any indication of vowel length, and sometimes spelled blæc. In Middle English potential confusion is to some degree increased by lengthening of vowels in open syllables, revealed by such spellings as blaak and blake for blak. Old English blāc emerges in Middle English, in a small number of texts, as blok, though blak(e) is found in some Midland and northern texts. — Presumably related to *blaka- is an adjective *blank- with infixed n—see blank entry 1. In Germanic, alongside *blek-/*blak- there is a semantically similar strong verb with a diphthong *blīk-/*blaik-/*blik- along with an adjective *blaik- "bright," the source of Old English blāc cited above—see bleach entry 1.

Noun

Middle English blak, blake, going back to Old English blæc, derivative of blæc black entry 1

Verb

Middle English blaken, derivative of blak, blake black entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler

The first known use of black was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Phrases Containing black

Cite this Entry

Style

“Black.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/black. Accessed 23 Sep. 2023.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

black

1 of 3 adjective

ˈblak

: of the color black

: very dark

often capitalized : of or relating to various peoples having dark skin and especially those of African origin or ancestry

black people

: evil entry 1 sense 1, wicked

a black deed

: very sad or gloomy

the outlook was black

: sullen sense 1a

: characterized by grim or distorted humor

blackish

-ish

adjective

blackly adverb

blackness noun

black

2 of 3 noun

: a black pigment or dye

especially : one consisting largely of carbon

: the characteristic color of soot or coal

: black clothing

dressed in black

: a black animal (as a horse)

: a person belonging to any of various peoples with dark skin and especially one who has African ancestry

: African-American

: absence of light : darkness

the black of night

: the condition of making a profit

in the black

black

3 of 3 verb

: blacken sense 1

Geographical Definition

Black

geographical name

river 101 miles (162 kilometers) long in east central Louisiana flowing south into the Red River

or in China Amo

ˈä-ˈmō

or in Vietnam Da

ˈdä

river 500 miles (805 kilometers) long in southeastern Asia rising in central Yunnan, China, and flowing southeast to the Red River in northern Vietnam

Biographical Definition

Black 1 of 2

biographical name (1)

ˈblak

Hugo LaFayette 1886–1971 American jurist and politician

Black

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

Sir James Whyte 1924–2010 British pharmacologist

Last Updated: 14 Sep 2023 - Updated example sentences

Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

tenebrous

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

black

adjective

noun

verb

Synonyms

Examples of black in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near black

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Geographical Definition

geographical name

Biographical Definition

biographical name (1)

biographical name (2)