| Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples Note: You can also talk about a black and white situation, issue or judgment. Black-and-white definition is - partly black and partly white in color. black-and-white A black-and-white subject or situation is one in which it is easy to understand what is right and wrong : Disarmament isn't a black-and-white issue for me. Nowadays, people do not see these things purely in black and white. Black and white definition: In a black and white photograph or film , everything is shown in black, white, and grey. 2 : in a way that involves a simple choice between two opposite things (such as good and bad or right and wrong) She sees everything in black and white . Definition of in black and white 1 : in written or printed form I want to see it in black and white . She is still a champion of oversimplification, seeing issues in black and white. How to use black-and-white in a sentence. Until it happened and the proof was in black and white, she would give him the benefit of the doubt.