black hat

noun

A villain in a story, especially in a Western (a film or other work of the Western genre).

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Meanings

black hat1

nounblack hat (plural black hats)

plural black hats

  1. idiomatictransitiveA villain in a story, especially in a Western (a film or other work of the Western genre).
  2. slangcomputer securitycomputingA malicious hacker, one who violates computer security out of malice or for personal gain.

black hat2

nounblack hat (plural black hats)

plural black hats

  1. A Haredi Jew; a member of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
crackerhacker

Origin

black hat · noun

From the black stetsons (cowboy hats) traditionally worn by such villains.

Full word history & related roots →

black hat · noun

From the black hats traditionally worn by men in Haredi communities.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 黑帽黑客
  • 黑帽黑客 (hēimào hēikè)malicious hacker
Polish black hat
  • black hatmalicious hacker
Welsh het ddu
  • het ddumalicious hacker
Cite this entry
APA

black hat. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/black%20hat

MLA

“black hat.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/black%20hat. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “black hat,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/black%20hat.

Source: black hat on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.