variants or less commonly non-black or nonblack
: not of or relating to African American people or their culture
attended predominantly non-Black schools
Jean-Michel Basquiat was a gifted Black artist deeply immersed in a non-Black world.Joy Sewing
When Motown first packaged up a roster of artists and songs that could be embraced by a non-black audience, no new act … crossed over into the bosom of Middle America as easefully as the Supremes.Jasper Rees

Examples of non-Black in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Jews were among the most prominent and important nonblack supporters of the civil-rights movement, helping found and fund the NAACP, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and numerous black colleges and universities. Donna Brazile, WSJ, 27 May 2021 Most are not names known to many nonblack people in the United States. NBC News, 31 May 2020 Studies show nonblack teachers are less likely to recommend black students for gifted and talented programs. Erin Richards, USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2020 Just a quarter of a century earlier, national data show, nonblack students accounted for only about 15 percent of students at these schools. Talia Richman, baltimoresun.com, 19 Sep. 2019 Even though black ex-felons are overwhelmingly Democratic, the racial breakdown reveals that there are many more nonblack ex-felons, whose political preferences are much less certain. Marc Meredith, Vox, 2 Nov. 2018

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

Word History

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of non-Black was in 1953

Dictionary Entries Near non-Black

Cite this Entry

“Non-Black.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/non-Black. Accessed 30 Sep. 2024.

Last Updated: - Definition revised
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