Definition

1. Noun:

   • A list of people or entities that are disapproved of or excluded: A "blacklist" is an official or unofficial register of those who are denied a particular privilege, service, or acceptance, often as a form of punishment or boycott.

2. Verb:

   • To put someone or something on a blacklist: The action of adding a person, group, or item to such a list, resulting in their banishment, boycott, or exclusion from certain activities or benefits.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • The company maintains a blacklist of unreliable suppliers.
  • During the Cold War, many artists were placed on a government blacklist.

• Verb:

  • The organization threatened to blacklist any member who broke the rules.
  • Many books were blacklisted by the authorities for containing controversial ideas.

Advanced Usage

• "To be on a blacklist": To be included in a list of banned or disapproved persons/entities.

  • The journalist found himself on a blacklist and could not get his work published.

• "To compile a blacklist": To create or assemble such a list.

  • The committee was tasked with compiling a blacklist of known fraudsters.

Variants and Related Words

• Blacklisting (n): The act or process of putting someone on a blacklist.

  • The blacklisting of the union members caused a major scandal.

• Blacklisted (adj): Describing a person or entity that has been placed on a blacklist.

  • The blacklisted author struggled to find a publisher.

Synonyms

• Noun: Ban, boycott list, exclusion list, proscription list.
• Verb: Ban, bar, boycott, ostracize, proscribe.

Related Phrases

• "To land on a blacklist": To end up being placed on a blacklist.
  • His controversial statements caused him to land on the media blacklist.

Notes on Meaning

The term "blacklist" inherently carries a negative connotation, implying disapproval, censorship, or punitive exclusion. Its opposite is a "whitelist," which denotes a list of approved or favored entities. The concept is applied in various contexts, including employment, commerce, entertainment, and politics.

Noun

1. a list of people who are out of favor

Verb

1. put on a blacklist so as to banish or cause to be boycotted
   • many books were blacklisted by the Nazis