minstrel

noun

min·​strel ˈmin(t)-strəl 

plural minstrels

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

: 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

Synonyms

• poet
• bard

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

Like many such venues across America, the Kempner also hosted lectures, minstrel shows, musicals, operas, plays and vaudeville acts, along with community events such as school graduations. —Arkansas Online, 9 Aug. 2025

His grandfather Daniel was a miner who would perish in an underground accident, and his great uncle George owned a minstrel show that toured Western mining camps. —Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 31 July 2025

Worse yet is the portrayal of the Africans, which multiple critics compared to minstrel shows. —Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 30 July 2025

These all-white liberal Dems are the stars of a new Democratic Party minstrel show. —Armond White, National Review, 25 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

minstrel

noun

min·​strel ˈmin(t)-strəl 

1

: a medieval musical entertainer

especially : a singer of verses accompanied by music

2

a

: musician

b

: poet

3

a

: one of a group of performers giving a program of Black American melodies and jokes usually with faces blackened with makeup

b

: a performance by a group of minstrels