black whale

noun

A sperm whale (Physeter catodon, syn. Physeter macrocephalus (family Physeteridae))

Similar
pilot whalecommon blackfishblackfishGlobicephala melaenasperm whalecachalotPhyseter catodon
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Meanings

nounblack whale (plural black whales)

plural black whales

  1. Any whale of four species:
    1. A sperm whale (Physeter catodon, syn. Physeter macrocephalus (family Physeteridae))
    2. North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis)
    3. North Pacific right whale (Eubalaena japonica)
    4. southern right whale (Eubalaena australis)

      It was quite different to the cry of a black whale, which was not so loud and resembled the muffled roar of a bull.

      1961, Tom Mead, Killers of Eden, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 31
  2. Any cetacean blackfish.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounsmall dark-colored whale of the Atlantic coast of the United States; the largest male acts as pilot or leader for the school

Similar
pilot whalecommon blackfishblackfishGlobicephala melaena
Broader
dolphin

nounlarge whale with a large cavity in the head containing spermaceti and oil; also a source of ambergris

Similar
sperm whalecachalotPhyseter catodon
Broader
toothed whale
Also see
biscayan right whaleblackfishcachalotpilot whalesperm whale

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Cite this entry
APA

black whale. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/black%20whale

MLA

“black whale.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/black%20whale. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “black whale,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/black%20whale.

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