blackness

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   The quality or state of being black in color.

   Grammar: Uncountable: you say 'the blackness of the sky', not 'a blackness'.

   Patterns

   • the blackness of something

   The blackness of the ink made the letters stand out clearly.

   She admired the deep blackness of the polished stone.

   The blackness of the coffee surprised him; it was very strong.

2. 2noununcountable

   Total darkness, especially when no light can be seen.

   Grammar: Uncountable and often used with 'in' or 'into': 'in the blackness'.

   Patterns

   • in the blackness
   • into the blackness
   • the blackness of night

   We walked into the blackness of the cave without a flashlight.

   The blackness outside the window made the room feel cozy.

   After the power went out, the blackness lasted for hours.

3. 3noununcountable

   The experience, identity, or culture of Black people, especially in discussions of race.

   Grammar: Often capitalized as 'Blackness' in this sense; uncountable.

   Patterns

   • Blackness
   • the concept of Blackness

   The artist's work explores Blackness and history.

   The course examines representations of Blackness in literature.

   Her book discusses the many meanings of Blackness in modern society.

Common combinations

total blackness

The room was in total blackness until someone found a candle.

the blackness of night

The blackness of night covered the whole valley.

pitch blackness

The storm left the city in pitch blackness.

a sea of blackness

From the boat, all we could see was a sea of blackness.

Synonyms and how they differ

darkness

Darkness is the general word for lack of light; blackness is stronger and suggests complete, deep black.

obscurity

Obscurity means being hard to see or unknown, not necessarily black in color.

Opposites

Word family

black adjective

Of the darkest color, like coal or night.

blacken verb

To make something black or become black.

blackly adverb

In a black or dark way; often used figuratively.

Commonly confused: blackness or dark?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “blackness”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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