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 of minstrel

• poet

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

The store pulled a children’s Halloween costume from its shelves Monday after widespread social media backlash over a garment that critics said evoked painful memories of racist minstrel caricatures. — Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026

Target recently received backlash for 'offensive' Halloween costume This comes on the heels of Target apologizing in late August for a Halloween circus clown costume that critics said appeared to conjure Blackface and 19th-century minstrel shows. — Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026

Davis shared her thoughts alongside a side-by-side comparison of the costume with 19th-century minstrel imagery, which perpetuated racist stereotypes about Black Americans and involved the use of blackface. — Daysia Tolentino, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Aug. 2026

Retailer Target pulled a children’s Halloween costume from its shelves Monday after widespread social media backlash, apologizing for selling a garment critics said evoked racist minstrel caricatures. — Nancy Jiang, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026

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