Dictionary

blackness en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈblæknəs/ (US)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English blaknesse, equivalent to black + -ness. Sense 5 most likely both originated from the masque The Masque of Blackness by Ben Jonson and later changed to its current positive sense.

Meanings

1. (uncountable, usually) The state or quality of being black in colour.
   • The blackness of outer space comes from the lack of anything to reflect light rather than the absence of light.
   • The lights of Luluabourg disappeared, and we were in the blackness of the African night, which was continuously pierced by the showers of red sparks ejected skywards and red hot ashes deposited on the track as the fireman rocked his fire. 1958 February 14, Arthur F. Beckenham, “A Journey in the Belgian Congo”, in Railway Magazine, page 93:
2. (uncountable, usually) Any space that such colour pervades.
   • The guest room was full of the noise of the rain falling on fragrant branches in the framed blackness of the open window. 1957 March 7, Vladimir Nabokov, chapter 4.8, in Pnin, Heinemann, page 108:
   • Out of the blackness came some flickers of light.
3. (figuratively, uncountable, usually) Darkness, gloominess; depression.
4. (figuratively, uncountable, usually) The quality of being evil or dismal.
   • She had seen so much of the blacker side of human nature that blackness no longer startled her as it should do. 1860 January – 1861 April, Anthony Trollope, Framley Parsonage. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], published April 1861, →OCLC:
5. (uncountable, usually) The state of being of African descent.
   • “Black Panther” is a stunning visual and cultural achievement that takes superhero cinema where it’s never gone before by not being afraid to embrace its blackness. 2018 February 12, David Betancourt, “‘Black Panther’ fully embraces its blackness—and that's what makes it unforgettable”, in The Washington Post, archived from the original on 12 Feb 2018:
6. (uncountable, usually) The experiences and culture of Black people.

Forms

Antonyms

blacklessness · whiteness

Coordinates

blackenedness · blackishness

Deriveds

problackness · postblackness · pitch-blackness · political blackness · pitch blackness · blackness studies · antiblackness

Hypernyms

dark · darkness

Translations (41)

sv svärta (state or quality of being black) · es negror (result or product) · pt negrura (state or quality of being black) · th ความดำ (state or quality of being black) · pl czerń (state or quality of being black) · la nigredo (state or quality of being black) · ota سواد (state or quality of being black) · ca negror (state or quality of being black) · ka სიშავე (state or quality of being black) · gl negror (state or quality of being black) · eo nigreco (state or quality of being black) · tr siyahlık (state or quality of being black) · pl czerń (result or product) · fr noirceur (state or quality of being black) · es negrura (result or product) · it nerezza (state or quality of being black) · la nigritia (state or quality of being black) · mr काळोख (state or quality of being black) · es negrura (state or quality of being black) · la nigror (state or quality of being black) · fi mustuus (state or quality of being black) · ang sweartnes (state or quality of being black) · ca negror (result or product) · es negror (state or quality of being black) · grc μελανότης (state or quality of being black) · cy düwch (state or quality of being black) · pa کالَکھ (state or quality of being black) · cs černota (state or quality of being black) · gd dubh (state or quality of being black) · ru чернота́ (state or quality of being black) · gl negrura (state or quality of being black) · de Schwärze (state or quality of being black) · mr काळेपणा (state or quality of being black) · cs temnota (state or quality of being black) · tr karalık (state or quality of being black) · gd dubh (result or product) · pt negridão (state or quality of being black) · gv dooid (state or quality of being black) · pt negror (state or quality of being black) · ar سَوَاد (state or quality of being black) · pl czarność (state or quality of being black)