blacklist

American  

[blak-list] / ˈblækˌlɪst /

noun

blacklists plural

1. a list of persons under suspicion, disfavor, censure, etc..

   His record as an anarchist put him on the government's blacklist.

2. a list privately exchanged among employers, containing the names of persons to be barred from employment because of untrustworthiness or for holding opinions considered undesirable.

3. a list drawn up by a labor union, containing the names of employers to be boycotted for unfair labor practices.

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verb (used with object)

1. to put (a person, group, company, etc.) on a blacklist.

   Synonyms:

   ostracize, shun, ban, proscribe, debar, bar, blackball

blacklist British  

/ ˈblækˌlɪst /

noun

1. a list of persons or organizations under suspicion, or considered untrustworthy, disloyal, etc, esp one compiled by a government or an organization

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verb

1. (tr) to put on a blacklist

blacklist Cultural  

1. Concerted action by employers to deny employment to someone suspected of unacceptable opinions or behavior. For example, individual workers suspected of favoring labor unions have often been blacklisted by all the employers in a region.

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Discover More

During the McCarthy era (see Joseph P. McCarthy) in the 1950s, the careers of many public figures suspected of communist activities were ruined by blacklisting.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• blacklisting
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• blacklists
  plural

Etymology

Origin of blacklist

First recorded in 1610–20; black + list ¹

Explanation

When people are deliberately excluded from a group or boycotted, the list of their names is a blacklist. Several industries created blacklists during the US anti-communist period of the 1940s and 50s. One of the most famous blacklists was the one established in Hollywood in 1947, with the intention of keeping Communists and their "sympathizers" from working in the film industry. You can use the word as a verb too, meaning to put someone's name on such a list, or to exclude them from employment or inclusion. The term itself dates all the way back to the 17th century, when it was defined as "list of persons who have incurred suspicion."

Example Sentences

Stone tried to defend himself by saying that he'd read M. Stanton Evans' book "Blacklisted by History," and found it "a more balanced review of exactly what McCarthy was talking about and what he did."

From Salon • Aug. 29, 2021

Blacklisted Aaron Copland, Hanns Eisler and other composers accused in the 1950s of having communist ties are saluted in this entry in the “Under the Oaks” outdoor concert series.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 15, 2018

Blacklisted by their employers after the unions’ defeat, they had walked all the way to London searching for ways to feed their families.

From The Guardian • Jul. 2, 2017

Blacklisted, the group stopped performing but in 1955 reunited for a packed concert at Carnegie Hall in New York.

From Washington Post • Sep. 5, 2016

Blacklisted words Chinese internet users have started to collect and analyse information about Green Dam.

From BBC • Jun. 30, 2009

Related Words

• banish
• blackball
• expel
• ostracize
• snub