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

On the north side of the building, black-and-white portraits of six local community members are painted larger than life, watching over the neighborhood. —Kansas City Star, 23 Jan. 2026

These are not disagreements over facts, because both the cost of their demands and the normal raises in their salary schedule are black-and-white numbers. —Todd Maddison, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Jan. 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