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

For the past century, the studio has been synonymous with a handful of characters that first appeared in campy black-and-white Boris Karloff movies and went on to become some of the most recognizable horror iconography of the 21st century. —Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 16 Apr. 2026

Inspired by both the classic cartoons of the 1930s and gritty noir detective movies of the same era, the black-and-white, first-person shooter game stars Baker as the main protagonist, mouse detective Jack Pepper. —Jennifer Maas, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026

Noun

In the black-and-white photo, taken at the Season 3 premiere of the HBO series, Sweeney, 28, smiles widely at the camera with a close Braun, 44, looking away. —Shad Powers, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026

The legal doctrine behind the RPA is obsolete as the black-and-white TV. —Stephen Moore, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 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