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black-and-white

black-and-white

119 2.5
An image, film, or pattern that uses only black, white and gray
  • adjective
  • /blæk ənd waɪt/
: en blanco y negro
  • The film was shot in black-and-white, giving it a classic and timeless feel.
  • black-and-white photographs
  • black-and-white photo
  • black-and-white photography

And our pictures transitioned from black and white to Kodak color film.

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Examples

  • It's all there in black-and-white.

    Global Heresy (2002)

  • The bird was barely alive, its eyes shut, its black-and-white feathers moving slightly.

    Academic text (2002)

  • It's all flat and black and white.

    The Goldfinch (2019)

  • In Germany, it was like going from black and white TV to colour.

    True Geordie

  • And for the record, that is not a black-and-white movie.

    Sex and the City 2 (2010)

  • Mr. harmer, it's here in black and white.

    Thunder on the Hill (1951)

  • Each time, for her 25 cents, she got four black-and-white pictures of herself on a strip.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • The division addresses both still and video photography, as well as both color and black-and-white photography.

    Academic text (2009)

  • All transparencies and slides must be converted to black-and-white prints or digital images prior to submission.

    Academic text (2012)

  • The difference in medium, Bellows's black-and-white drawing contrasted with Sloan's painting, is partly responsible for the distinction.

    Academic text (2011)

Synonyms

black and white
vsblack-and-white
90 1.3

An image that shows only shades of black, white and gray, not color

is the hyphenated adjective form used before nouns
colorless
vsblack-and-white
  • US
13 2.9

Having very little or no color

describes pure black white gray use rather than dullness
monochromatic
vsblack-and-white
7 7.2

Having only one color, or for light, only one wavelength

focuses instead on black white and gray shades in images
achromatic
vsblack-and-white
1 8.1

Colors that do not have any hue, like black, white, and gray

is specifically about images using only black white and gray
monochromic
vsblack-and-white
1 7.5

Showing only one color in lighter and darker shades

means only black white and gray shades for image use
hueless
vsblack-and-white
1 9.4

Something that has no color and looks grey or pale

applies to images that use only black white and gray
monotonal
vsblack-and-white
1 7.3

A thing that uses only one color or shade

is limited to the specific case of black white and gray

Antonyms

colorful
  • US
107 2.1

Full of interesting stories and lively events

color
  • US
95 1.0

Able to show natural shades instead of only black and white

How Colorful

colorful
  • US
107 2.1
tinted
33 3.2
black-and-white
119 2.5

Surface Forms

black-and-white positive
black and white positive

Morphology

black-and-white = black + white (transparent) = black + white

Literal compound of 'black' and 'white' describing absence of colour, so the meaning follows directly from the components.

Etymology

Black-and-white comes from joining the simple words black and white, like old photographs and films or a panda's fur that show only those tones. So when something is black-and-white it has 'no color' and uses only black, white, and maybe gray.