blackish

Blackish is an adjective used to describe something that is somewhat black or very dark, close to pure black but not completely so. It is a qualitative, non-technical descriptor that relies on perception rather than a precise color specification. The term can apply to objects, surfaces, textiles, and images whose appearance leans toward black without being fully black.

In color practice, blackish conveys a family of near-black hues that are influenced by other color components, such as blue, brown, or green. In digital color models, true black is RGB 0,0,0 and 0% lightness; terms like blackish would correspond to very low lightness with potential tint depending on the light source or pigment.

Linguistically, blackish is formed with the suffix -ish to indicate approximation. It is more common in casual speech and writing than in formal color descriptions. It can describe hair color (blackish hair), clothing (a blackish jacket), or surfaces that appear almost black.

Not to be confused with Black-ish, a 2014 American television sitcom created by Kenya Barris, stylized with a hyphen; the show’s title uses capitalization and punctuation that differ from the general color term.

Related terms include near-black, off-black, and very dark shades of other colors; blackish should not be used as a precise color designation in design standards.