black-and-white

1 of 3

adjective

ˌbla-kən-ˈ(h)wīt 

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)

: squad car

black and white

3 of 3

noun (2)

1

: writing, print

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

This includes the black-and-white Courtly Check, pale-pink Rosy Check, ornate Butterfly Toile, springtime-evoking Wildflowers, and Butterfly Hill. —Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 20 Feb. 2026

The black-and-white picture shows 28 men of Japanese descent, American citizens, lined up on wooden stairs leading to a mess hall at Tule Lake, one of 10 internment camps in the western United States during World War II. —Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 19 Feb. 2026

Noun

Choose from a range of eye-catching prints, from black-and-white zebra stripes to antique florals. —Elly Leavitt, Vogue, 13 Jan. 2026

Moore styled her waist-length black hair in soft mermaid waves for the black-and-white photoshoot. —Lara Walsh, InStyle, 13 Jan. 2026

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

Rhymes for black-and-white

• acolyte
• aconite
• allanite
• alunite
• amberlite
• ammonite
• amorite
• amphitrite
• analyte
• anchorite
• andesite
• anhydrite