blackface

noun

black·face ˈblak-ˌfās

often attributive

: dark makeup worn to mimic the appearance of a Black person and especially to mock or ridicule Black people

Note: The wearing of blackface by white performers was, from the early 19th through the mid-20th centuries, a prominent feature of minstrel shows (see minstrel sense 3a) and similar forms of entertainment featuring exaggerated and inaccurate caricatures of Black people. The use of blackface is considered deeply offensive.

plural blackfaces : a performer wearing blackface : minstrel sense 3a

Examples of blackface in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The school called the parents of each boy on June 4; the parents explained the photo was not of blackface but rather of the boys wearing acne face masks three years earlier. —

Caelyn Pender, The Mercury News, 9 May 2024 Billy Dee Williams believes actors should be able to perform in blackface. —

Michaela Zee, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for blackface

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'blackface.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.