| 1. | a list of persons under suspicion, disfavor, censure, etc.: His record as an anarchist put him on the government's blacklist. |
| 2. | a list privately exchanged among employers, containing the names of persons to be barred from employment because of untrustworthiness or for holding opinions considered undesirable. |
| 3. | a list drawn up by a labor union, containing the names of employers to be boycotted for unfair labor practices. |
| 4. | to put (a person, group, company, etc.) on a blacklist. |
black·list (blāk'lĭst') n. A list of persons or organizations that have incurred disapproval or suspicion or are to be boycotted or otherwise penalized. tr.v. black·list·ed, black·list·ing, black·lists To place on or as if on a blacklist. See Synonyms at blackball. black'list'er n. |
Concerted action by employers to deny employment to someone suspected of unacceptable opinions or behavior. For example, individual workers suspected of favoring labor unions have often been blacklisted by all the employers in a region.
Note: During the McCarthy era (see Joseph P. McCarthy) in the 1950s, the careers of many public figures suspected of communist activities were ruined by blacklisting.
blacklist
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