blackface

[blak-feys]

noun

1. Theater.

   1. an entertainer, especially in a minstrel or vaudeville show, made up in the role of a Black person. By the mid-20th century, these entertainers had declined in popularity because their comic portrayal of negative racial stereotypes was considered offensive.

   2. facial makeup, as burnt cork, used in this role.

      They appeared in blackface.

   3. imitation of Black skin tone, speech, traditional dress, etc., by a person who is not Black.

      White rappers are performing vocal blackface when they rap in a dialect they appropriated from the African American community.

2. Printing.,  a heavy-faced type, usually darker than boldface.

blackface

/ ˈblækˌfeɪs /

noun

1. 1. a performer made up to imitate a Black person

   2. the make-up used by such a performer, usually consisting of burnt cork

2. a breed of sheep having a dark face

Word History and Origins

Origin of blackface¹

First recorded in 1695–1705; black + face

Example Sentences

These negotiations of race and class were later reflected in the signage for Whitten’s Workroom 27: a sharply dressed man in the style of a blackface caricature beneath the words “Spoony Bill’s.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The masque’s subject is problematic: Some beautiful African water nymphs—portrayed by the queen and her ladies-in-waiting in blackface—wish to travel to Britain to be made white.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In 2019, Trudeau faced another controversy after old photos of him in blackface surfaced, forcing him to issue a public apology.

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Kelly also took a brief leave at NBC after wondering aloud why it shouldn’t be OK for white people to wear blackface for Halloween.

Read more on Salon

Barr went on to criticize Kimmel and noted that ABC kept working with the comedian despite his past repeated use of blackface for “The Man Show” in the late 1990s and early aughts.

Read more on Los Angeles Times