Meanings
nounblack-and-white television (countable and uncountable, plural black-and-white televisions)
plural black-and-white televisions
- countableuncountableA monochrome system of transmitting and receiving television signals.
- countableuncountableA television set that displays only monochrome images.
Synonyms & antonyms
Opposite
Origin
Retronym for television, coined after the invention of colour television to refer specifically to the type of television existing before then.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 黑白電視 /黑白电视, 黑白電視 /黑白电视
- 黑白電視 /黑白电视 (hēibái diànshì)system
- 黑白電視 /黑白电视 (hēibái diànshì)set
- 黑白電視機 /黑白电视机 (hēibái diànshìjī)set
Finnish mustavalkotelevisio, mustavalkotelevisio
- mustavalkotelevisiosystem
- mustavalkotelevisioset
German Schwarz-Weiß-Fernsehen, Schwarz-Weiß-Fernseher
- Schwarz-Weiß-Fernsehensystem
- Schwarz-Weiß-Fernseherset
Japanese 白黒テレビ
- 白黒テレビ (shirokuro terebi)system
Korean 흑백(黑白)텔레비전
- 흑백(黑白)텔레비전 (heukbaektellebijeon)system
Polish telewizja czarno-biała, telewizor czarno-biały
- telewizja czarno-białasystem
- telewizor czarno-białyset
Portuguese televisão a preto e branco, televisão a preto e branco
- televisão a preto e brancosystem
- televisão a preto e brancoset
- televisor a preto e brancoset
Russian чёрно-бе́лое телеви́дение, чёрно-бе́лый телеви́зор
- чёрно-бе́лое телеви́дение (čórno-béloje televídenije)system
- чёрно-бе́лый телеви́зор (čórno-bélyj televízor)set
Cite this entry
APA
black-and-white television. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/black-and-white%20television
MLA
“black-and-white television.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/black-and-white%20television. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “black-and-white television,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/black-and-white%20television.
Source: black-and-white television on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.