blacklist

[ blak-list ]

noun

1. a list of persons under suspicion, disfavor, censure, etc.:

   His record as an anarchist put him on the government's blacklist.

2. a list privately exchanged among employers, containing the names of persons to be barred from employment because of untrustworthiness or for holding opinions considered undesirable.
3. a list drawn up by a labor union, containing the names of employers to be boycotted for unfair labor practices.

verb (used with object)

1. to put (a person, group, company, etc.) on a blacklist.

   Synonyms: ostracize, shun, ban, proscribe, debar, bar, blackball

blacklist

/ ˈblækˌlɪst /

noun

1. a list of persons or organizations under suspicion, or considered untrustworthy, disloyal, etc, esp one compiled by a government or an organization

verb

1. tr to put on a blacklist

blacklist

1. Concerted action by employers to deny employment to someone suspected of unacceptable opinions or behavior. For example, individual workers suspected of favoring labor unions have often been blacklisted by all the employers in a region.

Notes

During the McCarthy era ( see Joseph P. McCarthy ) in the 1950s, the careers of many public figures suspected of communist activities were ruined by blacklisting.

Derived Forms

• ˈblackˌlisting, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of blacklist¹

First recorded in 1610–20; black + list ¹

Example Sentences

Under the conservative administration of former President Park Geun-hye, the daughter of another military dictator, Han was placed on a blacklist in 2014, barring her from receiving government support, along with other creatives deemed to be ideologically undesirable.

From Los Angeles Times

That didn’t prevent her from turning down its promise of steady money, though, and from the 1920s through the ’40s, she labored off and on for the movies, earning a pair of Oscar nominations for her screenplays before personal demons and the blacklist caught up with her.

From Los Angeles Times

The US includes Sinwar on its blacklist of "international terrorists".

From BBC

In September 2015, the United States included Sinwar's name on its blacklist of "international terrorists"

From BBC

In 2015, the US included Sinwar on its blacklist of "international terrorists".

From BBC

Related Words

• banish
• blackball
• expel
• ostracize
• snub