blackface

noun

black·​face ˈblak-ˌfās 

often attributive

1

: 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.

2

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

Examples of blackface in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Interestingly, Torres’s Oscar campaign has also faced a (smaller) dose of scandal: The actress has apologized for wearing blackface in a Brazilian TV comedy sketch 17 years ago. —Laura Bradley, Vulture, 6 Feb. 2025

And there also is this blackface that is supposed to be a celebration or acknowledgement of Milchick’s difference. —Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 31 Jan. 2025

It was meant to be a humorous examination of gender roles, and Torres played a mother named Solange and appeared in blackface as a maid named Dalva. —Ingrid Vasquez, People.com, 29 Jan. 2025

Related: See All the New Justin Baldoni & Blake Lively’s Texts & Emails—Including the One That References Taylor Swift Did Blake Lively wear blackface? —Caroline Bell, StyleCaster, 23 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1847, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing blackface

• digital blackface