black list

Idioms  

1. A list of persons or things considered undesirable or deserving punishment, as in Japanese beetles are on my black list of garden pests. The practice of making such lists is quite old. Notorious examples include the late 19th-century black lists of union members whom employers would not hire and the black lists of persons suspected of being Communists as a result of the hearings held by Senator Joseph R. McCarthy in the early 1950s. Today the term is also used more loosely, as in the example. [Early 1600s] Also see black book, def. 1.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

black list

Saturated fat has been taken off the black list.

From Barron's ● Jan. 7, 2026

It isn't clear who created the "black list" or where it originated, and the BBC cannot confirm its authenticity, but music industry insiders say such documents are not uncommon.

From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2022

Without citing sources, the Calcalist financial daily said Israeli police have possessed the Pegasus spyware made by Israel's NSO Group - which is now on a U.S. government black list -- since 2013.

From Reuters ● Jan. 18, 2022

North Korea and Iran remain the only two countries on the FATF’s high-risk black list.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 21, 2021

The personalities of the satire excited a keen interest, and much amusement to readers who were not included in Pope's black list of dunces.

From The Age of Pope (1700-1744) by John Dennis

Related Words

• censure
• criticism
• denunciation
• discontent
• dislike
• displeasure
• dissatisfaction
• objection