black list
Definition
- Noun (countable):
- A list of people, organizations, or things that are considered undesirable or are to be avoided or punished. A "black list" is a formal or informal register of names that are excluded, boycotted, or subject to restriction, often for political, moral, or security reasons.
Usage Examples
- (The company was officially recorded as undesirable due to illegal practices.)
- (They were excluded from employment in the film industry.)
- (A list of people to be denied service.)
Advanced Usage
"to blacklist" (verb): to put someone or something on a black list.
- The organization was blacklisted by the international community for its human rights abuses. (It was formally excluded from cooperation or recognition.)
"black list" vs. "blacklist": The term is often written as one word ("blacklist") in modern usage, but the two-word form "black list" remains common in formal or historical contexts.
- The original black list was a physical document kept by employers. (Historical usage.)
Variants and Related Words
Blacklisting (noun): the act of placing someone on a black list.
- Blacklisting of political dissidents was common during the regime. (The practice of exclusion.)
Blacklisted (adjective): placed on a black list.
- He is a blacklisted journalist who cannot publish in his own country. (Excluded from professional activity.)
Synonyms
- Ban list: a list of prohibited items or persons.
- Exclusion list: a list of those who are not allowed to participate.
- Proscription: the act of forbidding or condemning someone or something.
Idioms and Related Phrases
"to be on someone's black list": to be disliked or distrusted by that person.
- After that argument, I'm definitely on her black list. (I am in her disfavor.)
"to draw up a black list": to create a list of people or things to be avoided.
- The committee drew up a black list of companies that had failed safety inspections. (They compiled an official record.)