Word forms: comparative blacker, superlative blackest, plural, 3rd person singular presenttense blacks, present participle blacking, past tense, past participle blacked
1. colour
Something that is black is of the darkest colour that there is, the colour of the sky at night when there is no light at all.
She was wearing a black coat with a white collar.
He had thick black hair.
I wear a lot of black.
He was dressed all in black.
2. adjective
A Black person belongs to a race of people with dark skins, especially a race from Africa.
He worked for the rights of Black people.
Sherry is Black, tall, slender and soft-spoken.
...the traditions of the Black community.
3. countable noun [usually plural]
Black people are sometimes referred to as Blacks. This use could cause offence.
There are about thirty-one million Blacks in the U.S.
4. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Black coffee or tea has no milk or cream added to it.
A cup of black tea or black coffee contains no calories.
I drink coffee black.
5. adjective
If you describe a situation as black, you are emphasizing that it is very bad indeed.
[emphasis]
It was, he said later, one of the blackest days of his political career.
The future for the industry looks even blacker.
Synonyms: terrible [informal], bad, devastating, tragic More Synonyms of black
6. adjective
If someone is in a black mood, they feel very miserable and depressed.
In late 1975, she fell into a black depression.
Her mood was blacker than ever.
Synonyms: gloomy, sad, depressing, distressing More Synonyms of black
7. graded adjective
You use black to describe things that you consider to be very cruel or wicked.
[literary]
I think their crime is a blacker one than mere exploitation.
...the blackest laws in the country's history.
Synonyms: wicked, bad, evil, corrupt More Synonyms of black
8. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
Black humour involves jokes about sad or difficult situations.
'So you can all go over there and get shot,' he said, with the sort of black humourcommon among British troops here.
It's a black comedy of racial prejudice, mistaken identity and thwarted expectations.
9. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
People who believe in black magic believe that it is possible to communicate with evil spirits.
He was also alleged to have conducted black magic ceremonies.
The King was unjustly accused of practising the black arts.
10. verb
If someone blacks another person's eye, they punch or hit that person in the eye, causing it to bruise and look black.
Her brother blacked her eye. [VERB noun]
He was trying to hide his two blacked eyes. [VERB-ed]
Synonyms: bruise, mark, hit, injure More Synonyms of black
11. See also black eye
12.
See be black and blue
13.
See be in the black
14.
See black look
15.
See the new black
16.
See the new black
Phrasal verbs:
See black out
More Synonyms of black
black in British English
(blæk)
adjective
1.
of the colour of jet or carbon black, having no hue due to the absorption of all or nearly all incident light
Compare white (sense 1)
2.
without light; completely dark
3.
without hope or alleviation; gloomy
the future looked black
4.
very dirty or soiled
black factory chimneys
5.
angry or resentful
she gave him black looks
6.
(of a play or other work) dealing with the unpleasant realities of life, esp in a pessimistic or macabre manner
black comedy
7.
(of coffee or tea) without milk or cream
8.
causing, resulting from, or showing great misfortune
black areas of unemployment
9.
a.
wicked or harmful
a black lie
b.
(in combination)
black-hearted
10.
causing or deserving dishonour or censure
a black crime
11.
(of the face) purple, as from suffocation
12. British
(of goods, jobs, works, etc) being subject to boycott by trade unionists, esp in support of industrial action elsewhere
noun
13.
a black colour
14.
a dye or pigment of or producing this colour
15.
black clothing, worn esp as a sign of mourning
16. chess, draughts
a.
a black or dark-coloured piece or square
b. (usually capital)
the player playing with such pieces
17.
complete darkness
the black of the night
18.
a black ball in snooker, etc
19.
(in roulette and other gambling games) one of two colours on which players may place even bets, the other being red
20. in the black
21. archery
a black ring on a target, between the outer and the blue, scoring three points
verb
22. another word for blacken
23. (transitive)
to polish (shoes, etc) with blacking
24. (transitive)
to bruise so as to make black
he blacked her eye
25. (transitive) British, Australian and New Zealand
(of trade unionists) to organize a boycott of (specified goods, jobs, work, etc), esp in support of industrial actionelsewhere
Derived forms
blackish (ˈblackish)
adjective
blackishly (ˈblackishly)
adverb
blackly (ˈblackly)
adverb
blackness (ˈblackness)
noun
Word origin
Old English blæc; related to Old Saxon blak ink, Old High German blakra to blink
Black in British English1
(blæk)
adjective
1.
(of a person) belonging to a population having dark pigmentation of the skin
2.
of or relating to a Black person or Black people
a Black neighbourhood
noun offensive
3.
a member of a human population having dark pigmentation of the skin
▶ USAGE Talking about a Black or Blacks is considered offensive and it is better to talk about a Black person, Black people
Black in British English2
(blæk)
noun
1.
Sir James (Whyte). 1924–2010, British biochemist. He discovered beta-blockers and drugs for peptic ulcers: Nobel prize for physiology or medicine 1988
2.
Joseph. 1728–99, Scottish physician and chemist, noted for his pioneering work on carbon dioxide and heat
Black in American English
(blæk)
Hugo (La Fayette)1886-1971; U.S. jurist: associate justice, Supreme Court (1937-71)
black in American English
(blæk)
adjective
1.
opposite to white; of the color of coal or pitch
see also color
2. [sometimesB-]
a.
designating or of any of the dark-skinned traditional inhabitants of sub-Saharan Africa, Australia, or Melanesia or their descendants in other parts of the world
b.
by, for, or about black people as a group; specif., in the U.S., by, for, or aboutblack Americans
black studies
see also African-American
3.
a.
totally without light; in complete darkness
b.
very dark
4.
without cream, milk, etc.
said of coffee
5.
soiled; dirty
6.
wearing black clothing
7.
evil; wicked; harmful
8.
disgraceful
9.
full of sorrow or suffering; sad; dismal; gloomy
10.
disastrous
11.
sullen or angry
black looks
12.
without hope
a black future
13.
inveterate; confirmed; deep-dyed
a black villain
14.
humorous or satirical in a morbid or cynical way
black comedy
15.
secret; covert; hidden
a CIA black operator
noun
16.
a.
black color
b.
a black pigment, paint, or dye
17.
any substance or thing that is black
18.
a spot or area that is black
19.
black clothes, esp. when worn in mourning
20. [sometimesB-]
a member of a black people
21.
complete darkness or absence of light
22. Chess
the player or side with the black or darker-colored pieces
verb transitive, verb intransitive
23.
to make black; blacken
24.
to polish with blacking
Idioms:
black out
in the black
into the black
Derived forms
blackish (ˈblackish)
adjective
blackness (ˈblackness)
noun
Word origin
ME blak < OE blæc < IE *bhleg-, burn, gleam (> L flagrare, flame, burn) < base *bhel-, to gleam, white: orig. sense, “sooted, smoke-black from flame”
More idioms containing
black
give someone a black eye
a black box
in the black
in black and white
black and white
black and blue
the pot calling the kettle black
the black sheep
a black mark
Examples of 'black' in a sentence
black
Keeping a wary eye on the black speck above him, Sam urged Sprout on.
Garth Nix LIRAEL: DAUGHTER OF THE CLAYR (2001)
She had very dark blue eyes that were almost black, like Marianne's.
Hugo Wilcken THE EXECUTION (2001)
He had tightly curling dark brown hair and distinctive black eyebrows.
Garth Nix LIRAEL: DAUGHTER OF THE CLAYR (2001)
Word lists with
black
black, Horse colours
In other languages
black
British English: black /blæk/ ADJECTIVE
Something that is black is of the darkest colour that there is, the colour of the sky at night when there is no light at all.
He was wearing a black coat with a white collar.
American English: black
Arabic: أَسْوَد
Brazilian Portuguese: preto
Chinese: 黑的
Croatian: crn
Czech: černý
Danish: sort
Dutch: zwart
European Spanish: negro
Finnish: musta
French: noir
German: schwarz
Greek: μαύρος
Italian: nero
Japanese: 黒い
Korean: 검은
Norwegian: sort
Polish: czarny
European Portuguese: preto
Romanian: negru
Russian: черный
Latin American Spanish: negro
Swedish: svart
Thai: ดำ
Turkish: siyah
Ukrainian: чорний
Vietnamese: đen màu
All related terms of 'black'
black art
→ black magic
black bag
a large sturdy black plastic or polythene bag used to put rubbish in
black box
A black box is an electronic device in an aircraft which records information about its flights . Black boxes are often used to provide evidence about accidents .
black boy
any plant of the Australian genus Xanthorrhoea, having a woody stem , stiff grasslike leaves, and a spike of small white flowers: family Xanthorrhoeaceae . Some species produce fragrant resins
black bun
a very rich dark fruitcake , usually in a pastry case
black cab
a taxi whose drivers are officially tested and licensed
black cap
a coastal bird of New Zealand and SE Australia, Sterna striata , with a long black bill , a white breast , and a forked tail
black dog
depression or melancholy
black eye
If someone has a black eye , they have a dark-coloured bruise around their eye.
black fly
any small blackish stout-bodied dipterous fly of the family Simuliidae , which sucks the blood of humans , mammals , and birds
black gum
a tall , deciduous tupelo ( Nyssa sylvatica ) with sour purple fruits and leaves that turn scarlet in the fall, found in moist forests of the E U.S.
black hat
a computer hacker who carries out illegal malicious hacking work
black haw
any of several E U.S. shrubs or small trees (genus Viburnum ) of the honeysuckle family, having blue-black fruits
black ice
Black ice is a thin, transparent layer of ice on a road or path that is very difficult to see .
black oak
any of various North American oaks (esp. Quercus velutina ) with dark bark or foliage
black out
If you black out , you lose consciousness for a short time.
black pad
a rough road or track
black rat
a common rat , Rattus rattus : a household pest that has spread from its native Asia to all countries
Black Rod
(in Britain) an officer of the House of Lords and of the Order of the Garter , whose main duty is summoning the Commons at the opening and proroguing of Parliament
black rot
any of various plant diseases of fruits and vegetables , producing blackening , rotting , and shrivelling and caused by bacteria (including Xanthomonas campestris ) and fungi (such as Physalospora malorum )
black run
an extremely difficult run, suitable for expert skiers
Black Sea
an inland sea between SE Europe and Asia: connected to the Aegean Sea by the Bosporus , the Sea of Marmara , and the Dardanelles , and to the Sea of Azov by the Kerch Strait . Area: about 415 000 sq km (160 000 sq miles)
black tea
tea withered and fermented before being dried by heating
black tie
A black tie event is a formal social event such as a party at which people wear formal clothes called evening dress.
gas black
finely powdered carbon produced by burning natural gas. It is used as a pigment in paints , etc
jet black
Something that is jet black is a very intense black.
non-Black
a person who is not of a Black race
black alder
a deciduous shrub ( Ilex verticillata ) of the holly family, native to E North America, with glossy leaves that turn black in the fall and bright-red berries
Black Angus
→ Aberdeen Angus
black arts
→ the black arts
black bass
any of several predatory North American percoid freshwater game fishes of the genus Micropterus : family Centrarchidae ( sunfishes , etc)
black bean
an Australian leguminous tree, Castanospermum australe , having thin smooth bark and yellow or reddish flowers: used in furniture manufacture
black bear
the common North American bear ( Ursus americanus ) that lives in forests and feeds mainly on roots and berries
black belt
A black belt is worn by someone who has reached a very high standard in a sport such as judo or karate .
black bile
one of the four bodily humours ; melancholy
Black Bloc
an informal grouping of militant , mainly anarchist , protesters who act together during anti-capitalism, anti-war, etc, protests , often wearing black hoods and black clothing
black body
a hypothetical body that would be capable of absorbing all the electromagnetic radiation falling on it
black book
a book containing the names of people to be punished , blacklisted , etc
black books
a book containing the names of people to be punished , blacklisted , etc
black bread
a kind of very dark coarse rye bread
black bream
a dark-coloured food and game fish , Acanthopagrus australis , of E Australian seas
Black Caps
→ the Black Caps
Black Death
a deadly disease, probably bubonic plague , which devastated Europe and Asia in the 14th cent .
black disc
a conventional black vinyl gramophone record as opposed to a compact disc
black duck
a sooty brown, wild duck ( Anas rubripes ) of E North America
black dwarf
a cold , dark dwarf star
black earth
→ another name for chernozem
Black Ferns
→ the Black Ferns
black flag
a pirate flag , usually of black cloth with a white skull and crossbones on it; Jolly Roger
Black Friar
a Dominican friar
Chinese translation of 'black'
black
(blæk)
adj
(in colour)[paint, jacket, cat]黑色的 (hēisè de)
[person]黑人的 (hēirén de)
[tea, coffee]不加牛奶的 (bù jiā niúnǎi de)
[humour]黑色的 (hēisè de)
⇒ a black comedy黑色喜剧 (hēisè xǐjù)
(= grim) 暗淡的 (àndàn de)
⇒ one of the blackest days of his political career他政治生涯中最暗淡的一个日子 (tā zhèngzhì shēngyá zhōng zuì àndàn de yī gè rìzi)
n
(u) (= colour) 黑色 (hēisè)
(c) (= person) 黑人 (hēirén) (个(個), gè)
⇒ the first black to be elected to Congress第一个被选入国会的黑人 (dìyī gè bèi xuǎnrù guóhuì de hēirén)
vt
(Brit) 抵制 (dǐzhì)
⇒ The Union blacked incoming goods at the docks.工会抵制了进入码头的货物。 (Gōnghuì dǐzhìle jìnrù mǎtóu de huòwù.)
to give sb/to have a black eye把某人眼睛打青/眼睛青了 (bǎ mǒurén yǎnjīng dǎqīng/yǎnjīng qīng le)
black and blue (= bruised) 青一块(塊)，紫一块(塊)的 (qīng yīkuài, zǐ yīkuài de)
there it is in black and white白纸(紙)黑字清清楚楚地写(寫)着(著) (bái zhǐ hēi zì qīngqīngchǔchǔ de xiě zhe)
to be in the black (= in credit) 有盈余(餘) (yǒu yíngyú)
All related terms of 'black'
black ice
薄冰 bóbīng
black out
( faint ) 暂(暫)时(時)失去知觉(覺) zànshí shīqù zhījué
Black Sea
▶ the Black Sea 黑海 Hēi Hǎi
pitch-black
( night, place ) 漆黑的 qīhēi de
black coffee
黑咖啡 hēi kāfēi
black market
黑市 hēishì
black pepper
黑胡椒 hēihújiāo
black pudding
黑血肠(腸) hēixuècháng
the Black Sea
黑海 Hēi Hǎi
black and blue
( bruised ) 青一块(塊)，紫一块(塊)的 qīng yīkuài, zǐ yīkuài de
白纸(紙)黑字清清楚楚地写(寫)着(著) bái zhǐ hēi zì qīngqīngchǔchǔ de xiě zhe
to give sb/to have a black eye
把某人眼睛打青/眼睛青了 bǎ mǒurén yǎnjīng dǎqīng/yǎnjīng qīng le
treacle
black treacle 糖浆(漿) tángjiāng [ 美 = molasses ]
1 (adjective)
Definition
having no hue, owing to the absorption of all or almost all light
He had thick black hair.
Synonyms
dark
raven
a striking woman with long raven hair
ebony
He had rich, soft ebony hair.
sable
thick sable lashes
jet
dusky
pitch-black
a pitch-black winter morning
inky
the inky black of night
swarthy
He had a broad swarthy face.
stygian
coal-black
pitchy
murky
Their plane crashed in murky weather.
Opposites
light
,
bright
2 (adjective)
Definition
without hope
After the demise of her business, she fell into a black depression.
Synonyms
gloomy
He is gloomy about the fate of the economy.
sad
The loss left me feeling sad and empty.
depressing
the depressing thought of his mother's death
distressing
horrible
grim
the tower blocks on the city's grim edges
bleak
The immediate outlook remains bleak.
hopeless
Even able pupils feel hopeless about job prospects.
dismal
You can't occupy yourself with dismal thoughts all the time.
ominous
sombre
The pair were in sombre mood.
morbid
He was in no mood for any morbid introspection.
mournful
He looked mournful, even near to tears.
morose
She was morose, pale and reticent.
lugubrious
He plays it so slowly that it becomes lugubrious.
joyless
His work load had become so enormous that life seemed joyless.
funereal
He addressed the group in funereal tones.
doleful
He stared over his glasses with a doleful look.
cheerless
They were like a restless, cheerless throng of lost souls.
Opposites
happy
,
warm
,
cheerful
3 (adjective)
He had just undergone one of the blackest days of his political career.
Synonyms
terrible (informal)
I have the most terrible nightmares.
bad
Eating too much of any food can be bad for you.
devastating
the devastating force of the floods
tragic
the tragic loss of so many lives
fatal
It dealt a fatal blow to his chances.
unfortunate
Through some unfortunate accident, the information reached me a day late.
dreadful
They told us the dreadful news.
destructive
the awesome destructive power of nuclear weapons
unlucky
harmful
adverse
The decision would have no adverse effect on the investigation.
dire
We found ourselves in a dire predicament.
catastrophic
A tidal wave caused catastrophic damage.
hapless
the hapless victim struggled helplessly
detrimental
These foods are considered detrimental to health.
untoward
The surveyor's report didn't highlight anything untoward.
ruinous
the ruinous effects of the conflict
calamitous
a calamitous air crash
cataclysmic
Few had expected the change to be as cataclysmic as it was.
ill-starred
an ill-starred attempt to create jobs in a deprived area
unpropitious
ill-fated
They are now home after their ill-fated trip abroad.
cataclysmal
4 (adjective)
Definition
wicked or harmful
the blackest laws in the country's history
Synonyms
wicked
She flew at me, shouting how evil and wicked I was.
bad
I felt that I was a selfish, ungrateful, and generally bad person.
evil
the country's most evil criminals
corrupt
the flamboyant and morally corrupt court of Charles the Second
vicious
a vicious criminal incapable of remorse
immoral
It is immoral to persist with a system that impoverishes so many people.
depraved
It has been condemned as the most depraved film of its kind.
debased
a dysfunctional and morally debased organization
amoral
villainous
Richard III, one of Shakespeare's most villainous characters
unprincipled
the unprincipled behaviour of the prosecutor's office
nefarious
He was said to have committed other acts too nefarious to contemplate.
dissolute
She regretted her dissolute life.
iniquitous
an iniquitous fine
irreligious
The priest's conversational style was regarded as most irreligious.
impious
unrighteous
Opposites
good
,
moral
,
pure
,
honourable
5 (adjective)
a black comedy
Synonyms
cynical
He has a very cynical view of the world.
weird
ironic
At the most solemn moments he would make an ironic remark.
pessimistic
his excessively pessimistic view of life
morbid
misanthropic
a misanthropic but successful restaurateur
mordacious
6 (adjective)
a black look on your face
Synonyms
angry
an angry rant
cross
Everyone was getting bored and cross.
furious
He is furious at the way he has been treated.
hostile
The Governor faced hostile crowds when visiting the town.
sour
menacing
His bushy eyebrows gave his face a menacing look.
moody
He is a moody man behind that jokey front.
resentful
He turned away in a resentful silence.
glowering
sulky
a sulky adolescent
baleful
He had a baleful look.
louring or lowering
Opposites
happy
,
pleased
,
warm
,
friendly
,
cheerful
,
amicable
7 (adjective)
Definition
dirty or soiled
The whole front of him was black with dirt.
Synonyms
dirty
The woman had matted hair and dirty fingernails.
soiled
stained
filthy
He always wore a filthy old jacket.
muddy
muddy boots
blackened
grubby
His white coat was grubby and stained.
dingy
wallpaper with dingy yellow stripes
grimy
a grimy industrial city
sooty
mucky
The design means that you can't see the odd mucky mark.
scuzzy (slang, mainly US)
begrimed
skanky (slang)
festy (Australian, slang)
mud-encrusted
miry
Opposites
white
,
clean
,
pure
,
whitish
1 (verb)
An unfortunate collision had blacked her eye.
Synonyms
bruise
I had only bruised my knee.
mark
How do you stop the horses marking the turf?
hit
injure
A bomb exploded, seriously injuring five people.
mar
The scar didn't mar his self-confidence, he rather liked it.
blacken
blemish
She wasn't about to blemish that pristine record.
Nobody wanted to blemish his reputation at that time.
deface
It's illegal to deface banknotes.
discolour
Test first as this cleaner may discolour the fabric.
contuse
2 (verb)
Definition
(of trade unionists) to organize a boycott of (specified goods, work, etc.)
Synonyms
boycott
The main opposition parties are boycotting the elections.
bar
They have been barred from playing in several countries.
ban
Last year arms sales were banned.
blacklist
the full list of blacklisted airports
A government official disclosed that they had secretly been blacklisted.
Phrasal verbs
See black out
See black something out
idiom
See in the black
Usage note
When referring to people with dark skin, the adjective black or Black is widely used. For people of the US whose origins lie in Africa, the preferred term is African-American. To use a Black or Blacks as a noun is considered offensive, and it is better to talk about a Black person and Black people.
subject word lists
See Shades from black to white
figurative note
Black is a colour which has nearly no hue due to its absorption of light. It has long been associated with night-time and darkness in Western cultures. It is also symbolic of death, with the bereaved expected to wear black clothes to signify mourning in many cultures. Some of the senses of black include: gloomy as in black despair; dirty as in black with dirt; terrible as in Black Tuesday; wicked as in blackest act; macabre as in black comedy; and angry as in black look. A black sheep is a person who is a disgrace or an outcast in a group, from the proverb `there is a black sheep in every flock'. Another phrase involving black is in the black which means to be in credit financially, from the practice of marking credit items in black ink in a balance book. Black is sometimes used as a term relating to ethnic origin.
Additional synonyms
in the sense of adverse
Definition
unfavourable to one's interests
The decision would have no adverse effect on the investigation.
Synonyms
harmful,
damaging,
conflicting,
dangerous,
opposite,
negative,
destructive,
detrimental,
hurtful,
antagonistic,
injurious,
inimical,
inopportune,
disadvantageous,
unpropitious,
inexpedient
in the sense of bad
Definition
harmful
Eating too much of any food can be bad for you.
Synonyms
harmful,
damaging,
dangerous,
disastrous,
destructive,
unhealthy,
detrimental,
hurtful,
ruinous,
deleterious (formal),
injurious,
disadvantageous
in the sense of bad
Definition
evil or immoral
I felt that I was a selfish, ungrateful, and generally bad person.