black

/blæk/

/blæk/

Other forms: blacks; blacker; blackest; blacked; blacking; blackly

We all know what the color black looks like, but technically it's defined by the absence of light. Total darkness.

Black is most commonly used as an adjective, but you can also use it as a noun, like when you say, "The actors wore black." Synonyms when used to describe color include inky, raven, and sable. This word can also refer to an angry feeling, as in a black mood, or something wicked, like black magic.

Definitions of black

1. adjective

   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”

   synonyms:

   dark, dusky, fuliginous

   (used of color) having a dark hue

   antonyms:

   white

   being of the achromatic color of maximum lightness; having little or no hue owing to reflection of almost all incident light

   albescent

   becoming or shading into white

   light, light-colored

   (used of color) having a relatively small amount of coloring agent
2. adjective

   extremely dark
   “a black moonless night”

   “through the pitch-black woods”

   synonyms: pitch-black, pitch-dark

   dark

   devoid of or deficient in light or brightness; shadowed or black
3. adjective

   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.”

   synonyms:

   African-American, Afro-American

   pertaining to or characteristic of Americans of African ancestry

   antonyms:

   white

   of or belonging to a racial group having light skin coloration

   Caucasian, Caucasoid

   of or relating to Caucasian people

   light-skinned

   having little skin pigmentation
4. adjective

   (of coffee) without cream or sugar
   synonyms:

   undiluted

   not diluted
5. adjective

   soiled with dirt or soot
   “with feet black from playing outdoors”

   “his shirt was black within an hour”

   synonyms: smutty

   dirty, soiled, unclean

   soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime
6. noun

   the quality or state of the achromatic color of least lightness (bearing the least resemblance to white)
   synonyms: blackness, inkiness

   antonyms:

   white

   the quality or state of the achromatic color of greatest lightness (bearing the least resemblance to black)

   types:

   coal black, ebony, jet black, pitch black, sable, soot black

   a very dark black

   type of:

   achromatic color, achromatic colour

   a color lacking hue; white or grey or black
7. noun

   total absence of light
   “in the black of night”

   synonyms: blackness, lightlessness, pitch blackness, total darkness

   type of:

   dark, darkness

   absence of light or illumination
8. noun

   (board games) the darker pieces
   antonyms:

   white

   (board games) the lighter pieces

   type of:

   man, piece

   game equipment consisting of an object used in playing certain board games
9. noun

   black clothing (worn as a sign of mourning)
   “the widow wore black”

   type of:

   article of clothing, clothing, habiliment, vesture, wear, wearable

   a covering designed to be worn on a person's body
10. verb

    make or become black
    synonyms: blacken, melanise, melanize, nigrify

    type of:

    color, colour, discolor, discolour

    change color, often in an undesired manner
11. adjective

    marked by anger or resentment or hostility
12. adjective

    (of the face) made black especially as with suffused blood
    “a face black with fury”

    synonyms:

    colored, colorful, coloured

    having color or a certain color; sometimes used in combination
13. adjective

    offering little or no hope
14. adjective

    (of events) having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences; bringing ruin
    synonyms: calamitous, disastrous, fatal, fateful

    unfortunate

    not favored by fortune; marked or accompanied by or resulting in ill fortune
15. adjective

    stemming from evil characteristics or forces; wicked or dishonorable
16. adjective

    (used of conduct or character) deserving or bringing disgrace or shame
17. adjective

    harshly ironic or sinister
    “black humor”

    synonyms: grim, mordant

    sarcastic

    expressing or expressive of ridicule that wounds
18. adjective

    distributed or sold illicitly
    “the black economy pays no taxes”

    synonyms: black-market, bootleg, contraband, smuggled

    illegal

    prohibited by law or by official or accepted rules
19. adjective

    (of intelligence operations) deliberately misleading
    “black propaganda”

    synonyms:

    covert

    secret or hidden; not openly practiced or engaged in or shown or avowed