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

Turner said in his 25 years of theater work he’s never come across the problem the Grand is experiencing, but using white actors in blackface in 2025 isn’t an option. —Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2025

The post includes several other pictures of objects representing blackface as well. —Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2025

But the movie still retained some of the performance practices of the original stage work: There is a blackface number, and McDaniel wore a kerchief on her head and had the comedic gestures of a mammy caricature. —Joshua Barone, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025

From accusations over blackface to debates over artificial intelligence and the role of intimacy coordinators, this year's Oscars have sparked widespread conversations inside and outside Hollywood. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 2 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1847, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing blackface

• digital blackface

Rhymes for blackface

• abase
• airspace
• apace
• backspace
• biface
• birthplace
• boldface
• bookcase
• braincase
• briefcase
• carcase
• crankcase