minstrel

min·strel | \ ˈmin(t)-strəl

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

2a : musician

b : poet

3a : a member of a type of performance troupe caricaturing black performers that originated in the U.S. in the early 19th century

Note: The acts of minstrels, who typically performed in blackface, featured exaggerated and inaccurate representations of black people in songs, dances, and comic dialogue. The popularity of minstrel shows in their heyday played a significant role in promoting negative racial stereotypes. Professional minstrel shows had fallen out of favor and effectively disappeared by the mid-20th century.

b : a performance by a troupe of minstrels : a minstrel show

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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 on the Web Fifty crafters, a luncheon, a huge bake sale, take-a-chance table and strolling minstrels will be part of the festivities. — courant.com, "Community News For The Windham Edition," 27 Nov. 2019 In both Indian dramas and minstrel shows, which were popular around the same time, the use of redface and blackface were often justified as necessary stage devices, required to make the show more realistic. — Jennifer Percy, Harper's magazine, "The Skinning Tree," 20 Jan. 2020 For the ninth year the department of music at Boca Raton’s Florida Atlantic University will stage a Renaissance-themed evening with wandering minstrels, a court jester and a holiday feast. — Rod Stafford Hagwood, sun-sentinel.com, "Nutcrackers, Christmas concerts and shows to get into the mistletoe mood," 4 Dec. 2019 The United States has a fraught history of white performers darkening their faces to demean and dehumanize African Americans, including in minstrel shows in the 19th century. — Anna Purna Kambhampaty, Time, "Justin Trudeau Says He Didn't Remember Blackface and Brownface Photos and Admits There Could Be More," 19 Sep. 2019 But what is the difference between their portrayal and that of the actors in minstrel shows? — Brianna Holt, Quartzy, "Teens on TikTok have no clue they’re perpetuating racist stereotypes," 1 Nov. 2019 Who knows why these yahoos did a minstrel show in 1960? — Brian T. Allen, National Review, "The Museums of Vermont," 5 Oct. 2019 Blackface dates to nearly 200 years, when white performers darkened their faces with polish to mock enslaved Africans in minstrel shows. — Faith Karimi And Doug Criss, CNN, "Justin Trudeau isn't the only one. Here's a list of politicians who got in trouble over blackface," 20 Sep. 2019 Media also exacerbated minstrel images of black people with chicken and watermelon. — Lateshia Beachum, Washington Post, "Which came first: The fried chicken or the racist trope?," 24 Aug. 2019

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.