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Synonyms

blackness

American  
[blak-nis] / ˈblæk nɪs /

noun

  1. the quality or state of being black.

  2. the quality or state of being a Black person.

  3. Negritude.


Etymology

Origin of blackness

A Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; black, -ness

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“This was a period in English culture before blackness acquired its fatal association with slavery,” he writes, identifying a “certain strain of indifference to color” in the thinking of the time.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025

This white haziness in their lungs, where there should only be the empty blackness of air, is commonly the mark of a tuberculosis infection.

From Salon • Dec. 16, 2024

Onstage, he just stood there and gazed out into the blackness.

From New York Times • Feb. 9, 2024

"The beauty of it… the sharp contrast between the blackness of space and the horizon of the Moon… I'll never forget it. It was so dramatic."

From BBC • Jan. 6, 2024

The sun rose to its zenith and poured down merciless heat; afternoon came; then the sudden night of the tropics swallowed them in blackness.

From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham