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
Four months’ worth of rain fell in just hours as water-laden thunderstorms stalled in place, giving rise to a wall of water that surged down the river in the blackness of night, limiting the number of people who could get the warnings and move to higher ground.
—Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 6 July 2025
The cliffs loomed up terribly out of the blackness.
—Nicole Krauss, The Atlantic, 6 July 2025
Despite that, there was hope in the darkness, a feeling that the blackness was actually a place that fosters love and community.
— Harold Goldberg
The Horror at Highrook
Available on PC.
—The New York Times, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Its flights last 10 to 12 minutes from liftoff to capsule touchdown; passengers get to experience a few minutes of weightlessness and see Earth against the blackness of space.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for blackness
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Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 6 July 2025
The cliffs loomed up terribly out of the blackness.
—Nicole Krauss, The Atlantic, 6 July 2025
Despite that, there was hope in the darkness, a feeling that the blackness was actually a place that fosters love and community.
— Harold Goldberg
The Horror at Highrook
Available on PC.
—The New York Times, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Its flights last 10 to 12 minutes from liftoff to capsule touchdown; passengers get to experience a few minutes of weightlessness and see Earth against the blackness of space.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 20 June 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 18 Jul. 2025.
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