blackface

noun

black·​face ˈblak-ˌfās 

often attributive

1

: dark makeup worn to mimic the appearance of a Black person and especially to mock or ridicule Black people

Note: The wearing of blackface by white performers was, from the early 19th through the mid-20th centuries, a prominent feature of minstrel shows (see minstrel sense 3a) and similar forms of entertainment featuring exaggerated and inaccurate caricatures of Black people. The use of blackface is considered deeply offensive.

2

plural blackfaces : a performer wearing blackface : minstrel sense 3a

Examples of blackface in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

When pressed as to whether there is any validity to concerns that his use of blackface could be viewed offensively — if perhaps the resounding outrage has any merit — Forster is defensive. —Alana Wise, NPR, 7 June 2024

More recently, Dreyfuss blasted the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences’ new diversity and inclusion rules while defending actors using blackface, the Daily Beast reported. —Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 3 June 2024

Movies Billy Dee Williams approves actors using blackface for work: ‘Why not? —Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2024

While running for the state House in 2022, photos that appeared to show Mendoza in blackface surfaced online, sparking criticism. —Reagan Priest, The Arizona Republic, 28 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1847, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing blackface

• digital blackface