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

Shot by Chris Colls, the series of photographs showcase black-and-white imagery — long synonymous with Lagerfeld’s aesthetic. —Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2025

Linklater’s black-and-white 35mm movie is neither prequel, sequel, nor remake of Godard’s film. —Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 26 Aug. 2025

Noun

The black-and-white visual plays into both artists’ aesthetics while keeping ties to Wednesday, the Netflix series starring Jenna Ortega as the Addams Family character of the same name. —Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 3 Sep. 2025

And the book’s bracingly straightforward descriptions of often inexplicable behaviors and thought processes, become the hard, stark edges of a sculptural black-and-white photography that is all the more mysterious for apparently having nothing to hide. —Jessica Kiang, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025

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