black and white
adjective
1(Of a photograph, film, television programme, etc.) in black, white, shades of grey, and no other colour: old black-and-white movies...
- The first photograph was a black-and-white wedding photo, slightly yellowed with age.
- It was painted from an old black-and-white photograph somebody had lent her: she added the colours herself.
- My class is taught to develop their own film and produce black-and-white photos.
Synonyms
monochrome, greyscale
2(Of a situation or debate) involving clearly defined opposing principles or issues: it was all grey areas; no black-and-white certainties...
- The only problem, of course, is that neither situation is a black-and-white issue.
- Your question appears to raise an issue that is fairly black-and-white.
- Is potential failure assessment a black-and-white issue or does it depend on who is asking the questions and when?
Synonyms
categorical, unequivocal, absolute, uncompromising, unconditional, unqualified, unambiguous, clear, clear-cut, positive, straightforward, definite, definitive;
simplistic, shallow, pat, glib, jejune, naive
noun US informal
A police car: a couple of black and whites zipped up and cops jumped out...
- I just got back from the class and noticed quite a few agencies have gone to black & whites.
- Nothing says "Police" like a black & white.
- Saw the Jefferson CSO (CO) Dodge Charger black and white with LEDS on a traffic stop today.
Phrases
in black and white