Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
name
A suburb of Dundee, City of Dundee council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NO3830).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
A small coastal village in Falkirk council area, Scotland; a nearby headland is named Black Ness (OS grid ref NT0580).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
A hamlet in Westham parish, Wealden district, East Sussex, England (OS grid ref TQ6104).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
A suburb of Crowborough, Wealden district, East Sussex (OS grid ref TQ5230).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
The state or quality of being black in colour.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Any space that such colour pervades.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Darkness, gloominess; depression.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
The quality of being evil or dismal.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
The state of being of African descent.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
The experiences and culture of Black people.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Alternative letter-case form of blackness (“state of being of African descent; culture of African-Americans”).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: alt-of, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
the quality or state of the achromatic color of least lightness (bearing the least resemblance to white)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: black, inkiness
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: achromatic color, achromatic colour
Narrower terms: coal black, ebony, jet black, pitch black, sable, soot black
noun
total absence of light
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: total darkness, lightlessness, pitch blackness, black
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: dark, darkness
History
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.
Across languages
41 source translations are retained for this English entry.
