black-tie

1 of 2

adjective

ˈblak-ˌtī 

variants or less commonly black tie

: characterized by or requiring the wearing of semiformal evening clothes consisting of a usually black tie and tuxedo for men and a formal dress for women

a black-tie dinner

compare white-tie

black tie

2 of 2

noun

: semiformal clothing

gentlemen in black tie for the banquet

Examples of black-tie in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Currently on the awards season rounds for his epic Frankenstein for Netflix, the filmmaker will take a break from the flurry of black-tie events to attend a special screening of his debut, Cronos, which premiered at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival. —Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 7 Jan. 2026

The tuxedo shirt Inspired by men’s dress shirts, tuxedo shirts add black-tie elegance to everything from denim cutoffs to, well, black-tie affairs. —Avery Matera, Glamour, 6 Jan. 2026

Noun

With Matthew Broderick, her husband of 30 years, and their son James Wilkie on her arm in Zegna tuxedos, Parker opted to echo their black ties too. —Freya Drohan, Vogue, 8 Jan. 2026

Theroux looked dapper in a velvet black suit, white button-down shirt, black tie, and black leather boots. —Christina Perrier, InStyle, 4 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1933, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1951, in the meaning defined above