blackness
noun
black·ness
ˈblak-ˌnəs 
1
: the quality or state of being black: such as
a
: black color
Massive pots of oil, shellacked to a profound blackness by seasons of smoke and burnt grease, sit above burning slats of wood that seem to have been salvaged from the wreckage of the last hurricane.—
Pete Wells
Pete Wells
b
: darkness
As Kit lay wide awake in the blackness, some distant shouts, a snatch of raucous, unrestrained singing such as she had never heard before in Wethersfield, sent her mind back to the days of her childhood.—Elizabeth George Speare
Elizabeth George Speare
c
: a gloomy or somber feeling, tone, or character
"… Think of me at this hour, in a strange place, labouring under a blackness of distress that no fancy can exaggerate …"—Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson2
or less commonly Blackness
a
: the fact or state of belonging to a population group that has dark pigmentation of the skin : the fact or state of being Black (see black entry 1 sense 2a)
"In those days, racism and discrimination was overt. … people could see my blackness and would react to that. …"—Annette Nelson
Annette Nelson
b
: the social and cultural identity and experience of Black people
I, on the other hand, feel it is my blackness (not my skin color so much as the culture that nurtured me) that causes me to open myself, acknowledge my soul and its varied components …—Alice Walker
Alice Walker… the social construction of blackness, a social construction whose phenotypic reach I could not escape.—Devon W. Carbado
Devon W. Carbado
also
: representations or expressions of this (as in art or literature)
… a conversation … exploring Blackness and gender identity within fine art and popular culture. —Ann Fink
Ann Fink Examples of blackness in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There is beauty in blackness, this exhibition argues, value in places that lack light.
—Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 24 Mar. 2025
On a cold January day, the sun sets early and rises late, yielding to a blackness that envelopes the island, a blackness so deep that the light of stars manifests suddenly at dusk and the glow of the moon is bright enough to navigate by.
—Nicholas J. R. White Kat Hill, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2025
Passengers experience a few minutes of weightlessness during this stretch and get to see Earth against the blackness of space.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 25 Feb. 2025
Vega, one of the brightest stars in the night sky, shone above the horizon, brilliant against the blackness.
—Nicholas J. R. White Kat Hill, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for blackness
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 24 Mar. 2025
On a cold January day, the sun sets early and rises late, yielding to a blackness that envelopes the island, a blackness so deep that the light of stars manifests suddenly at dusk and the glow of the moon is bright enough to navigate by.
—Nicholas J. R. White Kat Hill, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2025
Passengers experience a few minutes of weightlessness during this stretch and get to see Earth against the blackness of space.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 25 Feb. 2025
Vega, one of the brightest stars in the night sky, shone above the horizon, brilliant against the blackness.
—Nicholas J. R. White Kat Hill, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for blackness
Cite this Entry
“Blackness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blackness. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share