blackness

noun

1. (uncountable, usually)The state or quality of being black in colour.

   “The blackness of outer space comes from the lack of anything to reflect light rather than the absence of light.”

   “The lights of Luluabourg disappeared, and we were in the blackness of the African night, which was continuously pierced by the showers of red sparks ejected skywards and red hot ashes deposited on the track as the fireman rocked his fire.”

2. (uncountable, usually)Any space that such colour pervades.

   “Out of the blackness came some flickers of light.”

   “The guest room was full of the noise of the rain falling on fragrant branches in the framed blackness of the open window.”

3. (figuratively, uncountable, usually)Darkness, gloominess; depression.
4. (figuratively, uncountable, usually)The quality of being evil or dismal.

   “She had seen so much of the blacker side of human nature that blackness no longer startled her as it should do.”

5. (uncountable, usually)The state of being of African descent.

   ““Black Panther” is a stunning visual and cultural achievement that takes superhero cinema where it’s never gone before by not being afraid to embrace its blackness.”

6. (uncountable, usually)The experiences and culture of African-American people.
7. (alt-of, uncountable)Alternative letter-case form of blackness (“state of being of African descent; culture of African-Americans”).

   “It is Blackless, hence it shares that very quality, Blacklessness, with Whiteness; and it is Whiteless, hence it shares Whitelessness with Blackness.”

   “Describes a person or thing that is authentic, the height of something, according to the authentic, natural, ‘keepin-it-real’ standards of Blackness that are believed to exist in ghetto communities. Also ghetto fab.”

   “It is a question of 'what we invest ourselves in' (Grosz 1995, 184) and how people live Blackness, Whiteness, Azerbaijaniness, Germanness, femaleness or maleness.”

   “The soundingness of Blackness only achieves recognition in a sociopolitical context where the very fact of Blackness holds significant meaning. In other words, the acoustic markers of Blackness are not just about differentiating the vocal utterings and tonal inclinations of particular cultures.”

   “In one sense, the tragic mulatto heroine is baboon—babooness, if you will—since she has to deny, or at least denigrate, her Blackness in order to be tragic.”

name

1. A suburb of Dundee, City of Dundee council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NO3830).
2. A small coastal village in Falkirk council area, Scotland; a nearby headland is named Black Ness (OS grid ref NT0580).
3. A hamlet in Westham parish, Wealden district, East Sussex, England (OS grid ref TQ6104).
4. A suburb of Crowborough, Wealden district, East Sussex (OS grid ref TQ5230).