black

Definition of black in English English dictionary
blackspan>: To apply blacking to something
Loving you, I could conceive no life sweeter than hers -- to be always near you; to black your boots, carry up your coals, scrub your doorstep; always to be working for you, hard and humbly and without thanks.
blackspan>: Relating to persons of (usually noticeable) negroid African descent or their culture. Also people of an Asian, Aborigine or Maori descent
blackspan>: To make black, to blacken
I saw red, and instead of a cab I fetched that policeman. Of course father did black his eye.
blackspan>: absorbing all light and reflecting none; dark and colourless
blackspan>: Bad; evil; ill-omened
what a black day would that be, when the Ordinances of Jesus Christ should as it were be excommunicated, and cast out of the Church of Christ.
blackspan>: Overcrowded
blackspan>: The standard denomination of the playing pieces of a board game deemed to belong to the "black" set, no matter what the actual colour
The black pieces in this set are in fact made of dark blue glass.
blackspan>: A pen, pencil, crayon, etc., made of black pigment
blackspan>: The colour/color perceived in the absence of light
black colour:.
blackspan>: Illegitimate, illegal or disgraced
Foodstuffs were rationed and, as in other countries in a similar situation, the black market was flourishing.
blackspan>: Black cloth hung up at funerals
Groans, and convulsions, and a discolored face, and friends weeping, and blacks, and obsequies, and the like, show death terrible.
blackspan>: The edge of home plate
blackspan>: the black: The black ball
blackspan>: A black dye, pigment
blackspan>: To boycott something or someone, usually as part of an industrial dispute
blackspan>: a type of firecracker that is really more dark brown in colour
blackspan>: A person of African descent, or Asian, Aborigine or Maori
blackspan>: blackcurrant syrup (in mixed drinks, e.g. snakebite and black, cider and black)
blackspan>: Without any cream, milk, or creamer
Jim drinks his coffee black, but Ellen prefers it with creamer.
blacking: a preparation, containing lampblack, used to produce a shiny black coating to something
blackly: In a black manner; darkly or gloomily
blackness: The result or product of being black
blackness: The state, property or quality of being black
The blackness of outerspace comes from the lack of anything to reflect light rather than the absence of black.
blackspan>: {a} dark, cloudy, mournful, dismal, wicked
blackspan>: {n} a blackamoor, darkest color, mourning
blackspan>: {v} to make black, blacken, darken, soil
blackspan>: {a} ebon
blackspan>: {a} ebony
blackish: {a} somewhat black, rather dirty, mean
blackness: {n} darkness, a dark color
Blackspan>: blk
blackspan>: make or become black; "The smoke blackened the ceiling"; "The ceiling blackened"
blackspan>: Synge; "took a dim view of things" (of intelligence operations) deliberately misleading; "black propaganda" harshly ironic or sinister; "black humor"; "a grim joke"; "grim laughter"; "fun ranging from slapstick clowning
blackspan>: for mourning was a Roman custom (Juvenal, x 245) borrowed from the Egyptians Black, in blazonry, means constancy, wisdom, and prudence Black, in several of the Oriental nations, is a badge of servitude, slavery, and low birth Our word blackguard seems to point to this meaning The Latin niger meant bad, unpropitious (See Blackguard )
blackspan>: a person, not of Hispanic origin, having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa
blackspan>: black clothing (worn as a sign of mourning); "the widow wore black" (board games) the darker pieces the quality or state of the achromatic color of least lightness (bearing the least resemblance to white) a person with dark skin who comes from Africa (or whose ancestors came from Africa) popular child actress of the 1930's (born 1927) British chemist who identified carbon dioxide and who formulated the concepts of specific heat and latent heat (1728-1799) marked by anger or resentment or hostility; "black looks"; "black words" of or belonging to a racial group having dark skin especially of sub-Saharan African origin; "a great people--a black people--
blackspan>: If you say that someone is black and blue, you mean that they are badly bruised. Whenever she refused, he'd beat her black and blue Bud's nose was still black and blue
blackspan>: extremely dark; "a black moonless night"; "through the pitch-black woods"; "it was pitch-dark in the celler" being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light; "black leather jackets"; "as black as coal"; "rich black soil" (of the face) made black especially as with suffused blood; "a face black with fury" soiled with dirt or soot; "with feet black from playing outdoors"; "his shirt was black within an hour" dressed in black; "a black knight"; "black friars" (of coffee) without cream or sugar (of events) having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences; bringing ruin; "the stock market crashed on Black Friday"; "a calamitous defeat"; "the battle was a disastrous end to a disastrous campaign"; "such doctrines, if true, would be absolutely fatal to my theory"- Charles Darwin; "it is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it"- Douglas MacArthur; "a fateful error" stemming from evil characteristics or forces; wicked or dishonorable; "black deeds"; "a black lie"; "his black heart has concocted yet another black deed"; "Darth Vader of the dark side"; "a dark purpose"; "dark undercurrents of ethnic hostility"; "the scheme of some sinister intelligence bent on punishing him"-Thomas Hardy (used of conduct or character) deserving or bringing disgrace or shame; "Man
blackspan>: One of the participants of a backgammon game, presumably the one using darker-colored checkers Also, the checkers used by this player
blackspan>: Fig
blackspan>: 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 humour common among British troops here It's a black comedy of racial prejudice, mistaken identity and thwarted expectations
blackspan>: distributed or sold illicitly; "the black economy pays no taxes"
blackspan>: 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
blackspan>: extremely dark; "a black moonless night"; "through the pitch-black woods"; "it was pitch-dark in the celler"
blackspan>: emphasis If you describe a situation as black, you are emphasizing that it is very bad indeed. It was, he said later, one of the blackest days of his political career The future for the industry looks even blacker
blackspan>: without light
blackspan>: harshly ironic or sinister; "black humor"; "a grim joke"; "grim laughter"; "fun ranging from slapstick clowning
blackspan>: The absence of all reflected light; the color that is produced when an object absorbs all wavelengths from the light source
blackspan>: black clothing (worn as a sign of mourning); "the widow wore black"
blackspan>: a member or descendant of certain African races
blackspan>: If someone is in a black mood, they feel very miserable and depressed. Her mood was blacker than ever
blackspan>: {f} make black, color black; polish with a black substance (of shoes, etc.); boycott a business or product (British)
blackspan>: A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa who is not also of Hispanic origin
blackspan>: Before the advent of modern dyes, all dress clothes were black—just look at any photograph taken in the 19th century The main historical connotation of black is formality Because we don’t wear black as often today, it has survived as a formal color only at extremely solemn occasions, such as funerals For some people today, black immediately connotes a funeral Black is sometimes, but rarely, the color for funeral services or Good Friday
blackspan>: If someone gives you a black look, they look at you in a way that shows that they are very angry about something. Passing my stall, she cast black looks at the amount of stuff still unsold. American jurist who served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1937-1971). He was noted for his ardent support of civil rights. British pharmacologist. He shared a 1988 Nobel Prize for developing drugs to treat heart disease and stomach and duodenal ulcers. British chemist who rediscovered carbon dioxide (1756) and formulated the concepts of latent heat and specific heat. American actress and public official. As Shirley Temple she was an immensely popular child actress of the 1930s, starring in films such as Bright Eyes (1934). As an adult she has held several diplomatic positions, including ambassador to Ghana (1974-1976). black mica black eyed pea black lead black legged kittiwake Black Aesthetic movement Black Arts movement Black and Tan black bass black bear Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument black codes Black Death Black Forest Black Friday black gum Black Hand Black Hawk Black Hills black hole black humour Black Legend black letter black market black nationalism Black Panther Party for Self Defense black pepper black sand Black Sea black snake Black Sox scandal Black Stone of Mecca black theatre Black Warrior River black widow Black Hugo La Fayette Black Sir James Whyte black eyed Susan black figure pottery Celebes black macaque Edward the Black Prince black film Black Sheep Black Muslims Shirley Temple Black
blackspan>: (1) visual observation of physical features; (2) documentary evidence establishing black ancestry, such as birth certificates; and (3) evidence that the candidate held themselves out to be black and are considered black in the community Philip Malone & Paul Malone vs Civil Service Commission & Department of Personnel Administration, 38 Mass App Ct 147, 646 N E 2d 150 (1995)
blackspan>: of or belonging to a racial group having dark skin especially of sub-Saharan African origin; "a great people--a black people--
blackspan>: (of coffee) without cream or sugar
blackspan>: total absence of light; "they fumbled around in total darkness"; "in the black of night"
blackspan>: A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa
blackspan>: (of intelligence operations) deliberately misleading; "black propaganda"
blackspan>: A stain; a spot; a smooch
blackspan>: A person having origins in any of the black racial groups in Africa Normally excludes persons of Hispanic origin except for tabulations produced by the Bureau of the Census, which are noted accordingly in this volume
blackspan>: dressed in black; "a black knight"; "black friars"
blackspan>: (board games) the darker pieces
blackspan>: Synge; "took a dim view of things"
blackspan>: offering little or no hope; "the future looked black"; "prospects were bleak"; "Life in the Aran Islands has always been bleak and difficult"- J M Synge; "took a dim view of things"
blackspan>: A black pigment or dye
blackspan>: of or belonging to a racial group having dark skin especially of sub-Saharan African origin; "a great people--a black people-- injected new meaning and dignity into the veins of civilization"- Martin Luther King Jr
blackspan>: stemming from evil characteristics or forces; wicked or dishonorable; "black deeds"; "a black lie"; "his black heart has concocted yet another black deed"; "Darth Vader of the dark side"; "a dark purpose"; "dark undercurrents of ethnic hostility"; "the scheme of some sinister intelligence bent on punishing him"-Thomas Hardy (used of conduct or character) deserving or bringing disgrace or shame; "Man
blackspan>: {i} color black, color that absorbs but does not reflect light; member of an ethnic group having brown to black skin and hair; African American; something colored black; black clothes
blackspan>: 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 the traditions of the black community
blackspan>: 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
blackspan>: If a person or an organization is in the black, they do not owe anyone any money. Until his finances are in the black I don't want to get married. in the red
blackspan>: Used alone, or in process printing combined with cyan, magenta and yellow, the black plate is made to increase contrast of dark tones and make them neutral
blackspan>: British chemist who identified carbon dioxide and who formulated the concepts of specific heat and latent heat (1728-1799)
blackspan>: Color that is produced when an object absorbs all wavelengths of light rather than reflecting some of them as other colors
blackspan>: Allows the calling party to not be billed for the call placed
blackspan>: Master Babaji Used to rebuke evil Color of unmanifest potential CHAKRA: A center of energy located in the subtle body where the subtle nerve channels converge like the spokes of a wheel Six major chakras lie within the central channel When awakened, kundalini shakti flows upward from the base of the spine through these six centers to the seventh chakra, the sahasrara, at the crown of the head
blackspan>: Black is the most common color for $100 chips If someone tells you they saw someone betting black at a blackjack table, it means they were betting at least $100 a hand See also white, red, and and green
blackspan>: Destitute of light, or incapable of reflecting it; of the color of soot or coal; of the darkest or a very dark color, the opposite of white; characterized by such a color; as, black cloth; black hair or eyes
blackspan>: (of events) having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences; bringing ruin; "the stock market crashed on Black Friday"; "a calamitous defeat"; "the battle was a disastrous end to a disastrous campaign"; "such doctrines, if true, would be absolutely fatal to my theory"- Charles Darwin; "it is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it"- Douglas MacArthur; "a fateful error"
blackspan>: To make black and shining, as boots or a stove, by applying blacking and then polishing with a brush
blackspan>: to be in the black means to be profitable Opposite of being in the red
blackspan>: harshly ironic or sinister; "black humor"; "a grim joke"; "grim laughter"; "fun ranging from slapstick clowning to savage mordant wit"
blackspan>: the Institute of Race Relations uses 'black' to refer to non-white groups - with heritages in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean - who share a common experience of British racism Occasionally, where statistical data is used from other organisations, the term 'Black' may have other meanings and the term 'ethnic minority' may be used to refer to non-white groups, as these are the terms under which much statistical data is collected
blackspan>: Bad; evil
blackspan>: Tells an individual to immediately report to the pits This flag may be displayed for consultation, possible problem with the racecar, or to receive a penalty If a driver fails to enter the pits within 5 laps, the scoring card for that driver may be withdrawn by NASCAR
blackspan>: Color typically used to signify non-sensitive or already-encrypted information or signals See Red
blackspan>: A U S citizen having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa
blackspan>: marked by anger or resentment or hostility; "black looks"; "black words"
blackspan>: (used of conduct or character) deserving or bringing disgrace or shame; "Man has written one of his blackest records as a destroyer on the oceanic islands"- Rachel Carson; "an ignominious retreat"; "inglorious defeat"; "an opprobrious monument to human greed"; "a shameful display of cowardice"
blackspan>: 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
blackspan>: a person with dark skin who comes from Africa (or whose ancestors came from Africa)
blackspan>: injected new meaning and dignity into the veins of civilization"- Martin Luther King Jr
blackspan>: (of the face) made black especially as with suffused blood; "a face black with fury"
blackspan>: the quality or state of the achromatic color of least lightness (bearing the least resemblance to white)
blackspan>: being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light; "black leather jackets"; "as black as coal"; "rich black soil"
blackspan>: not of Hispanic Origin: having origin in any of the Black racial groups of Africa
blackspan>: A negro; a person whose skin is of a black color, or shaded with black; esp
blackspan>: That which is destitute of light or whiteness; the darkest color, or rather a destitution of all color; as, a cloth has a good black
blackspan>: (board games) the darker pieces the quality or state of the achromatic color of least lightness (bearing the least resemblance to white) a person with dark skin who comes from Africa (or whose ancestors came from Africa) popular child actress of the 1930's (born 1927) British chemist who identified carbon dioxide and who formulated the concepts of specific heat and latent heat (1728-1799) marked by anger or resentment or hostility; "black looks"; "black words"
blackspan>: The part of a thing which is distinguished from the rest by being black
blackspan>: to savage mordant wit
blackspan>: To make black; to blacken; to soil; to sully
blackspan>: Black people are sometimes referred to as blacks. This use could cause offence. There are about thirty-one million blacks in the US
blackspan>: Dismal, gloomy, or forbidding, like darkness; destitute of moral light or goodness; atrociously wicked; cruel; mournful; calamitous; horrible
blackspan>: Sullenly; threateningly; maliciously; so as to produce blackness
blackspan>: (of coffee) without cream or sugar (of events) having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences; bringing ruin; "the stock market crashed on Black Friday"; "a calamitous defeat"; "the battle was a disastrous end to a disastrous campaign"; "such doctrines, if true, would be absolutely fatal to my theory"- Charles Darwin; "it is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it"- Douglas MacArthur; "a fateful error"
blackspan>: popular child actress of the 1930's (born 1927)
blackspan>: offering little or no hope; "the future looked black"; "prospects were bleak"; "Life in the Aran Islands has always been bleak and difficult"- J
blackspan>: One of the participants in a backgammon game, presumably the one using darker-colored checkers Also, the checkers used by this player
blackspan>: {s} of the color black; of or pertaining to an ethnic group having brown to black skin and hair; dark; without light; dirty; evil; gloomy; drunk without cream or milk (of coffee, etc.); boycott (British)
blackspan>: One of the two colors of chess spaces, pieces, and players See also: color, white
blackspan>: soiled with dirt or soot; "with feet black from playing outdoors"; "his shirt was black within an hour"
blackspan>: In a less literal sense: Enveloped or shrouded in darkness; very dark or gloomy; as, a black night; the heavens black with clouds
blackspan>: Relating to persons of African descent or (especially in the US) their culture
blackspan>: the most common form of tea worldwide prepared from green tea leaves which have been allowed to oxidize, or ferment, to form a reddish brew
blackspan>: The color that is produced when an object absorbs all wavelengths from the light source
blackspan>: Expressing menace, or discontent; threatening; sullen; foreboding; as, to regard one with black looks
blackspan>: A black garment or dress; as, she wears black Mourning garments of a black color; funereal drapery
blackspan>: has written one of his blackest records as a destroyer on the oceanic islands"- Rachel Carson; "an ignominious retreat"; "inglorious defeat"; "an opprobrious monument to human greed"; "a shameful display of cowardice"
blackspan>: obsidian
blackspan>: negro
blacked: {s} darkened; soiled, smirched, slandered
blacked: past of black
blacker: comparative of black
blackest: superlative of black
blacking: The act or process of making black
blacking: Any preparation for making things black; esp
blacking: shoe polish
blacking: one for giving a black luster to boots and shoes, or to stoves
blacking: {i} black shoe polish
blacking: present participle of black
blackish: {s} somewhat black
blackish: somewhat black; "blackish clouds
blackish: somewhat black; "blackish clouds"
blackish: Something that is blackish is very dark in colour. The water was blackish Katy has long blackish hair
blackly: wickedly, cruelly; gloomily
blackly: In a black manner; darkly, in color; gloomily; threateningly; atrociously
blackness: The property of being black
blackness: Blackness is the state of being very dark. The twilight had turned to a deep blackness
blackness: The quality or state of being black; black color; atrociousness or enormity in wickedness
blackness: {i} black color; darkness
blackness: the quality or state of the achromatic color of least lightness (bearing the least resemblance to white)
blackness: total absence of light; "they fumbled around in total darkness"; "in the black of night"
blacks: plural of black
blacks: Soot flying in the air
blacks: The name of a kind of in used in copperplate printing, prepared from the charred husks of the grape, and residue of the wine press
blacks: (Ital Neri) -- in Pistoia in the later thirteenth century, the name of a party, adopted in Florence after 1293 for a faction of the local Guelphs, originally headed by Corso Donati, which became dominant in the commune Opposed to the Whites
blacks: See Black, n
blacks: Black garments, etc
blacks: Mutes at funerals, who wore a black cloak; sometimes called the Black Guards “I do pray ye To give me leave to live a little longer You stand about me like my Blacks ” Beaumont and Fletcher: Mons Thomas, iii 1

black

Synonyms

dark, gloomy, pitch-black, blackness, african american, afro-american, person of color, person of colour, negro, coon, darkie, darky, nigger, blacken, darken

Antonyms

white, bright, illuminate, lit, hopeful, optimistic, clean, happy, good, caucasian

Etymology

[ blak ] (adjective.) before 12th century. From Middle English black, blak, from Old English blæc (“black, dark", also "ink”), from Proto-Germanic *blakaz, *blakkaz (“burnt”) (compare Dutch blaken 'to burn', Old High German blah 'black', Old Norse blakkr 'dark', blakra 'to blink'), from Proto-Indo-European *bhleg- (“to burn, shine”) (compare Latin flagare 'to shine', flagrare 'to burn', Ancient Greek φλωχ (phlōx) 'flame', Sanskrit bharga 'radiance'). More at bleach.