Etymology
Origin of blackness
A Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at black, -ness
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"What struck me wasn't necessarily just Earth, it was all the blackness around it. Earth was just this lifeboat hanging undisturbingly in the universe," said Koch.
From Barron's • Apr. 11, 2026
For white authors and readers, Morrison argued, blackness has been more metaphoric than real, a signifier of certain behavioral expectations.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026
The amnesia conceit allows the film to highlight its artificiality: painted backdrops, stages that recede into blackness, supporting players recast in multiple roles.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2025
This white haziness in their lungs, where there should only be the empty blackness of air, is commonly the mark of a tuberculosis infection.
From Salon • Dec. 16, 2024
He wrestled in his spirit and fought down the evil blackness.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
