Meanings
nounblack mark (plural black marks)
plural black marks
- idiomaticSomething that negatively affects someone's reputation.
"It taints your CV as people look at it and see what's gone on and it does put a bit of a black mark against you," says the man who, in 2006, was head hunted by Preston only for his tenure to be brought to a halt 17 months later.
2011 April 6, Aimee Lewis, quoting Paul Simpson, “Management after the sack”, in BBC Sport
Synonyms & antonyms
Also see
Cite this entry
APA
black mark. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/black%20mark
MLA
“black mark.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/black%20mark. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “black mark,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/black%20mark.
Source: black mark on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.