blackness

blackness — noun

1. a fully black appearance, or a place with so little light that almost nothing ca

1.nounB2
Definition

a fully black appearance, or a place with so little light that almost nothing can be seen

Example

By midnight, the farm road disappeared into blackness beyond the bridge.

into blackness

The blackness of the wet paint made the hallway look narrower.

blackness of + noun

Common collocations
  • deep blackness
  • total blackness
  • blackness of the sky
  • blackness of the sea
Synonyms
  • darkness

    the nearest general word, but it does not always suggest a black colour

  • gloom

    often suggests weak light rather than complete dark colour

  • shadow

    usually means a dark shape or area caused by blocked light

Antonyms
  • brightness

    focuses on strong light rather than dark colour

  • light

    the basic opposite when the meaning is lack of light

Grammar Patterns

blackness of + noun

into blackness

by blackness

Usage Note

Usually uncountable. Common in descriptive writing, especially after into, by, and of when the sentence focuses on darkness or a very black surface.

Common Mistakes

The room was full of blacknesses after the lights failed.
The room was full of blackness after the lights failed.
this sense is normally uncountable.

2. being Black, especially as a personal identity and as part of a shared history,

2.nounC1
Definition

being Black, especially as a personal identity and as part of a shared history, culture, and social experience

Example

Nadia's essay explores blackness in the classroom and at Sunday dinner.

explore blackness in + place

At the Saturday market, Leila discussed blackness with her cousins over hair products.

discuss blackness with + person

Common collocations
  • ideas of blackness
  • blackness in literature
  • perform blackness
  • study blackness
Synonyms
  • Black identity

    focuses more directly on identity than on wider experience

  • Black experience

    stresses lived social life rather than identity as an idea

  • Black culture

    covers cultural practices and expression, not the whole sense

Antonyms
  • whiteness

    used in race and identity discussions as a contrasting social category

Grammar Patterns

discuss blackness

explore blackness

blackness in + field or place

Usage Note

Common in academic, cultural, and social discussion. It often appears with verbs like discuss, explore, and define, and it refers to more than skin colour alone.

Common Mistakes

The museum held talks about blacknesses in modern art.
The museum held talks about blackness in modern art.
this sense is usually uncountable when talking about Black identity in general.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For sense 1, blackness is useful when you want to stress either a fully black colour or darkness that feels thick and complete. Darkness is the broad everyday word and fits most situations where there is little or no light. Gloom usually suggests weak, dull light rather than total absence of it, and it can also suggest a sad mood. Shadow is more specific: it is a dark shape or area made when light is blocked. A cave may be full of blackness or darkness, but a tree throws a shadow. Wet paint can have a deep blackness, but we would not usually call that shadow.

blackness ↗darkness ↗gloom ↗shadow ↗

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Blackness was formed in English by adding the noun ending -ness to black. The older word black comes from Old English and has long referred to the darkest colour. The noun first named that colour or the absence of light, and it later came to be used for Black identity and experience as well.