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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

When you’re talking about this printer, there is no black and white.

From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026

That’s pretty black and white, and red all over.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

Even Sunderland fan, Eddie, whose wife Brenda supports Newcastle, said: "He's a legend isn't he? Red and white, black and white it doesn't matter."

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 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

Charity looks to an old black and white image of her and her late husband wedged into the dashboard.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

A quick scroll through TikTok reveals numerous accounts, many of them created in the past few weeks, sharing photos and videos of an elusive black-and-white feline wearing the famous, towering, crooked red-and-white striped hat.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

A generous selection of historically relevant black-and-white illustrations is an added bonus.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

As he recalled, growing up he learned about antisemitism “in history books, black-and-white photos, and film reels.”

From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026

The black-and-white striped mosquitoes were first detected in 2013 in California, likely arriving via human travel and cargo transport.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

They passed a dome-shaped aviary full of black-and-white impundulus, barely mindful to cover their heads as the birds beat their massive wings and sent sparks of lightning into the sky.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

Related Words

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