black-tie

1 of 2

adjective

variants or less commonly black tie
: characterized by or requiring the wearing of semiformal evening clothes consisting of a usually black tie and tuxedo for men and a formal dress for women
a black-tie dinner
compare white-tie

black tie

2 of 2

noun

: semiformal clothing
gentlemen in black tie for the banquet

Examples of black-tie in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
From black-tie galas to 1,000 gay men in jockstraps on Fire Island. Helen Mitsios, SPIN, 16 May 2024 The Cannes Film Festival red carpet is notoriously strict about its black-tie dress code (one man in a blue tuxedo who committed the fashion travesty of wearing white socks was almost turned away). Ramin Setoodeh, Variety, 14 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for black-tie 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'black-tie.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1933, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1951, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of black-tie was in 1933

Dictionary Entries Near black-tie

Cite this Entry

“Black-tie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/black-tie. Accessed 1 Jun. 2024.

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