black-and-white

1 of 3

adjective

ˌbla-kən-ˈ(h)wīt 

1

: partly black and partly white in color

2

: being in writing or print

3

: executed in dark pigment on a light background or in light pigment on a dark ground

a black-and-white drawing

4

: monochrome sense 2

black-and-white film

black-and-white television

5

a

: sharply divided into good and evil

b

: evaluating or viewing things as either all good or all bad

black-and-white morality

c

: sharply defined : clear-cut

the truth is not always black-and-white

black-and-white

2 of 3

noun (1)

: squad car

black and white

3 of 3

noun (2)

1

: writing, print

2

: a drawing or print done in black and white or in monochrome

3

: monochrome reproduction of visual images (as by photography or television)

Examples of black-and-white in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

In the 1970s and 1980s, in dialogue with their mentors Bernd and Hilla Becher, artists like Andreas Gursky gradually moved away from black-and-white purism, embracing color and exploring banal themes through portraits, cityscapes and cultural landmarks. —Nargess Banks, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025

Most of them posted black-and-white photos, reflecting the gloomy mood. —Pol Ballús, New York Times, 11 May 2025

Noun

Tanaka, 39, chose a sweet black-and-white shot of the couple smiling together to share alongside his birthday message. —Rachel Desantis, Peoplemag, 28 Mar. 2023

While most Americans had a TV by the early 1960s, most of those were black-and-white sets. —Matt Novak, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

from a common color scheme for such cars

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (1)

1958, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1569, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for black-and-white

• acolyte
• aconite
• allanite
• alunite
• amberlite
• ammonite
• amorite
• amphitrite
• analyte
• anchorite
• andesite
• anhydrite