black
- adjective
- /blæk/
- Don't let this be a black mark on an otherwise perfect record.
- black humor
- black market
- black magic
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Watch on YouTubeThis is going to make them look extra black, like my soul.
- This is going to make them look extra black, like my soul.
Examples
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Open those ears wide, baby, and let that old black magic take over.
Fiction book (1992) -
18 years and their hearts are still black with guilt and shame.
-
You know what it's like to be 17 and feel like your life is a black hole?
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In my youth, I committed many black deeds of evil.
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Never before, not even from the Emperor, had he ever felt such a black and bitter hatred.
Fiction book (1991) -
Physical education today is seen as the black sheep of the education family, and society in general concurs.
Academic text (1993) -
The shadow of today hangs like a black pall over the country.
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This is the most black-hearted thing you have ever done, Nelle Harper Lee... ...and I will never forgive you.
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Others have resorted to "black humor" in an effort to cope with these conflicting interests.
Academic text (1990) -
The report revealed a black market for stolen goods operating in the city.
Synonyms
Connected with evil or with being kept hidden
Causing very great harm, suffering, or failure
Giving a feeling that something bad will happen
Causing shame because it is morally wrong
Showing little hope or encouragement
Causing very serious harm or ruin
Very bad or shocking behaviour that makes people lose respect
Sold or traded secretly because it is against the law
Sold illegally without official permission
Causing public shame and a loss of respect
An event that causes great harm or loss
Items people sell or bring into a country illegally
Humor that treats serious, upsetting things in a harsh way
Causing shame and loss of respect
Illegally brought into a country to avoid taxes or rules
Expressing sharp, often ironic criticism that can feel harsh
Very dark, almost black, in color or very sad and gloomy
Cruel and without pity to others
Being cruel and dishonest in a way that hurts other people
Antonyms
Idioms
A sign that dark clouds are coming and rain may fall, or a joke that things only seem bad
Compounds
- Specialized
An area of space with gravity so strong that not even light can escape it
A group of Black American activists in the 1960s who fought police abuse and fought for equal rights
A thing, like a failing project, that uses a lot of time or money and gives nothing back
A very skilled person in martial arts like karate or judo who wears a dark band at the waist
- Formal
A formal evening dress code for men that requires a black jacket and bow tie
- Specialized
A device on an airplane that records flight information and pilot voices
A sea between southeastern Europe and western Asia that borders countries like Turkey and Ukraine
- Archaic
A group of people with dark skin, often with African heritage, a term now seen as old-fashioned
A fictional king and superhero from Marvel who uses advanced technology to protect his people
A range of mountains in South Dakota and Wyoming, home to Mount Rushmore and sacred to the Sioux
A severe disease in the Middle Ages that spread across Europe and killed millions
- US
A venomous spider from the Americas whose female is black with a red hourglass on the underside of its body
- US
A person who follows the Nation of Islam, a religious group among African Americans in the United States
- Specialized
A system whose inner parts are hidden so you only see what goes in and what comes out
- Specialized
A lung disease from breathing coal dust for a long time that often affects miners
A member of the Black Panther Party who fought for equal rights for African Americans in the 1960s
- Literature
A play or film that makes serious subjects, especially taboo ones, seem funny
- Jargon
A secret action that hides who did it, often for political or military reasons
- Specialized
An object that absorbs all light and other kinds of radiation that hit it
- Specialized
A form of American English with its own grammar and words, often spoken by African Americans
- Specialized
A person with advanced Six Sigma training who leads projects to improve how a company works
- NSFW
A Palestinian armed group that carried out attacks in other countries in the early 1970s
How Evil
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word black has long been linked to darkness and danger, so it can mean evil, cruel, or very bad because darkness often hides harmful things.