minstrel

noun min·strel \ ˈmin(t)-strəl \

Updated on: 20 May 2018

Definition of minstrel

1 : one of a class of medieval musical entertainers; especially : a singer of verses to the accompaniment of a harp

wandering minstrels

2 a : musician

b : poet

3 a : any of a troupe of performers typically giving a program of black American melodies, jokes, and impersonations and usually wearing blackface

b : a performance by a troupe of minstrels

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Examples of minstrel in a Sentence

Edna St. Vincent Millay was unofficially the minstrel of Maine, as her poetry celebrates its coast and countryside.

Recent Examples of minstrel from the Web

There is the truly alarming sight of Mr. Glover’s body, and the minstrel twitch that sends his limbs spasming and causes his eyes to pop.

— wesley morris, New York Times, "‘Atlanta’ Skips a Grade," 11 May 2018
In a piece for The New Yorker, writer Lauren Michele Jackson said Wilson’s work made her think of blackface minstrels.

— emilia petrarca, The Cut, "Body Con Job," 11 May 2018
Here, minstrel shows abounded — including a banjo duet who impersonated the twins.

— vanessa hua, San Francisco Chronicle, "‘Inseparable,’ by Yunte Huang," 10 May 2018
Gambino dominates the foreground, striking poses and dancing with rubbery fluidity, a parody of a minstrel rapping and singing about money and partying.

— greg kot, chicagotribune.com, "Why Childish Gambino and Kanye West rise above the shouting about race and racism," 9 May 2018
Sorry, those little white gloves have their root in minstrel shows, intensely racist vaudeville acts whose repercussions are still seen in today’s media.

— sophia carter-kahn, The Verge, "Funny memes often come from dark places — remember that before you make your own," 27 Apr. 2018
Andy is remembered as a prime example of minstrel comedy: characters originally created on radio by white actors who adopted broad black dialect that played up a lack of education.

— jeet heer, The New Republic, "My Epiphany About the Problem With Apu," 14 Apr. 2018
Turning femme gays into minstrels – rather than complete human beings – is both demeaning and boring.

— andrew sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "Denying Genetics Isn’t Shutting Down Racism, It’s Fueling It," 30 Mar. 2018
There was a good 70, 80 years of that with the minstrel shows.

— ron hart, Billboard, "Wynton Marsalis Reflects on 30 Years of Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra," 29 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'minstrel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of minstrel

Middle English menestral, menstral, mynstral, borrowed from Anglo-French menestral, menestrel "servant, attendant, official, workman, musical entertainer," borrowed from Medieval Latin ministeriālis "servant, functionary in a lord's household, official," going back to Late Latin, "imperial official," noun derivative of ministeriālis "serving, performing a duty" — more at ministerial

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

minstrel Synonyms

Synonyms

bard, muse, poet, poetaster, versifier;

Related Words

poetess;

poet laureate;

epigrammatist, lyricist, rhymer, sonneteer;

Other Performing Arts Terms

diva, dramaturgy, loge, prestidigitation, proscenium, supernumerary, zany

MINSTREL Defined for English Language Learners

minstrel

noun

Definition of minstrel for English Language Learners

: a musical entertainer in the Middle Ages
: a member of a group of entertainers who performed black American songs and jokes usually with blackened faces