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• black and white
  black and white

  noun

  black.
• black-and-white
  black-and-white

  adjective

  displaying only black and white tones; without color, as a picture or chart.

black and white

¹ American  

noun

1. black.

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black-and-white ² American  

[blak-uhn-hwahyt, -wahyt] / ˈblæk ənˈʰwaɪt, -ˈwaɪt /

adjective

1. displaying only black and white tones; without color, as a picture or chart.

   a black-and-white photograph.

2. partly black and partly white; made up of separate areas or design elements of black and white.

   black-and-white shoes.

3. of, relating to, or constituting a two-valued system, as of logic or morality; absolute.

   To those who think in black-and-white terms, a person must be either entirely good or entirely bad.

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black-and-white British  

noun

1. 1. a photograph, picture, sketch, etc, in black, white, and shades of grey rather than in colour

   2. ( as modifier )

      black-and-white film

2. the neutral tones of black, white, and intermediate shades of grey Compare colour

3. 1. in print or writing

   2. in extremes

      he always saw things in black and white

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black and white Idioms  

1. A monochromatic picture, drawing, television image, computer monitor, or film, as opposed to one using many colors, as in Photos in black and white fade less than those taken with color film . [Late 1800s]

2. Also, black or white . Involving a very clear distinction, without any gradations. For example, He tended to view everything as a black and white issue—it was either right or wrong—whereas his partner always found gray areas . This usage is based on the association of black with evil and white with virtue, which dates back at least 2,000 years. [Early 1800s] Also see gray area .

3. in black and white . Written down or in print, and therefore official. For example, The terms of our agreement were spelled out in black and white, so there should be no question about it . This term alludes to black ink or print on white paper. Shakespeare used it in Much Ado about Nothing (5:1). [Late 1500s]

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Etymology

Origin of black-and-white

First recorded in 1590–1600

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

black and white black-and-white

He added: "In these cases we digitally rebalance the colour bands of the image, really making the archaeology 'pop' and reveal previously hidden details – these images appear as black and white".

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

She was last seen wearing a white shirt and black and white dirt-bike pants and riding a gray and white Kawasaki KLX 300R dirt bike, sheriff’s officials said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

A black and white picture of Jota celebrating a goal for his country has been displayed on big screens as the Portuguese national anthem has rung out before matches.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

"He campaigned in black and white, sharpening differences," said researcher Juan Alvarez at the Caro y Cuervo Institute.

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026

It is black and white and fluffy and fuzzy, and it walks upright, unassisted—which is odd for a teddy bear of any species or size.

From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh

That sort of black-and-white thinking was always going to clash with the shades of gray in Christopher Nolan’s smash-hit adaptation of “The Odyssey.”

From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026

Rather than treating this as a black-and-white or all-or-nothing scenario, why not dip into your taxable brokerage account, take out a mortgage, and time your IRA withdrawals or Roth conversions.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

The exhibition also includes an old photograph of the coastal city of Tyre, a black-and-white video of Nabatieh, and notebooks in which visitors wrote down their memories of the south.

From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026

Fontaine was no bruiser on black-and-white TV, when the balls were heavy leather and keepers unprotected from assault from forwards.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

A while later, there was a regular-looking fluffy black-and-white chicken pecking at the ground, with a little red comb and yellow legs.

From "Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer" by Kelly Jones

Related Words

• book
• copy
• edition
• engraving
• lettering
• lithograph
• magazine
• newspaper
• photograph
• stamp
• type
• writing