diff --git a/example/ast_printer.cpp b/example/ast_printer.cpp
index b6acb0c..a06eb31 100644
--- a/example/ast_printer.cpp
+++ b/example/ast_printer.cpp
@@ -24,8 +24,6 @@ void print_ast(const cppast::cpp_file& file)
         }
         else // if (info.event == cppast::visitor_info::leaf_entity) // a non-container entity
             std::cout << prefix << "'" << e.name() << "' - " << cppast::to_string(e.kind()) << '\n';
-
-        return true; // continue with visit
     });
 }
 
diff --git a/include/cppast/visitor.hpp b/include/cppast/visitor.hpp
index 889c194..9f659ce 100644
--- a/include/cppast/visitor.hpp
+++ b/include/cppast/visitor.hpp
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@
 #ifndef CPPAST_VISITOR_HPP_INCLUDED
 #define CPPAST_VISITOR_HPP_INCLUDED
 
+#include <type_traits>
+
 #include <cppast/cpp_class.hpp>
 #include <cppast/cpp_entity.hpp>
 #include <cppast/cpp_entity_kind.hpp>
@@ -28,83 +30,211 @@ namespace cppast
 
         cpp_access_specifier_kind access; //< The current access specifier.
 
-        bool
-            last_child; //< True when the current entity is the last child of the visited parent entity.
+        /// True when the current entity is the last child of the visited parent entity.
         /// \notes It will always be `false` for the initial entity.
+        bool last_child;
+
+        /// \returns `true` if the entity was not visited already.
+        bool is_new_entity() const noexcept
+        {
+            return event != container_entity_exit;
+        }
+
+        /// \returns `true` if the entity was visited already.
+        bool is_old_entity() const noexcept
+        {
+            return !is_new_entity();
+        }
+    };
+
+    /// A more expressive way to specify the return of a visit operation.
+    enum visitor_result : bool
+    {
+        /// Visit should continue.
+        /// \group continue
+        continue_visit = true,
+
+        /// \group continue
+        continue_visit_children = true,
+
+        /// Visit should not visit the children.
+        /// \notes This only happens when the event is [cppast::visitor_info::container_entity_enter]().
+        continue_visit_no_children = false,
+
+        /// Visit should be aborted.
+        /// \notes This only happens when the event is not [cppast::visitor_info::container_entity_enter]().
+        abort_visit = false,
     };
 
     /// \exclude
     namespace detail
     {
-        using visitor_callback_t  = bool (*)(void* mem, const cpp_entity&, visitor_info info);
-        using visitor_predicate_t = bool (*)(const cpp_entity&);
+        using visitor_callback_t = bool (*)(void* mem, const cpp_entity&, visitor_info info);
+
+        struct visitor_info_void
+        {
+        };
+        struct visitor_info_bool : visitor_info_void
+        {
+        };
 
         template <typename Func>
-        bool visitor_callback(void* mem, const cpp_entity& e, visitor_info info)
+        visitor_callback_t get_visitor_callback(
+            visitor_info_bool, decltype(std::declval<Func>()(std::declval<const cpp_entity&>(),
+                                                             visitor_info{})) = true)
         {
-            auto& func = *static_cast<Func*>(mem);
-            return func(e, info);
+            return [](void* mem, const cpp_entity& e, visitor_info info) {
+                auto& func = *static_cast<Func*>(mem);
+                return func(e, info);
+            };
+        }
+
+        template <typename Func>
+        visitor_callback_t get_visitor_callback(
+            visitor_info_void,
+            decltype(std::declval<Func>()(std::declval<const cpp_entity&>(), visitor_info{}),
+                     0) = 0)
+        {
+            return [](void* mem, const cpp_entity& e, visitor_info info) {
+                auto& func = *static_cast<Func*>(mem);
+                func(e, info);
+                return true;
+            };
+        }
+
+        template <typename Func>
+        visitor_callback_t get_visitor_callback()
+        {
+            return get_visitor_callback<Func>(visitor_info_bool{});
         }
 
         bool visit(const cpp_entity& e, visitor_callback_t cb, void* functor,
                    cpp_access_specifier_kind cur_access, bool last_child);
     } // namespace detail
 
-    /// Visits a [cppast::cpp_entity]().
-    /// \effects Invokes the callback for the current entity,
-    /// and any child entities.
-    /// It will pass a reference to the current entity and the [cppast::visitor_info]().
-    /// The return value of the callback controls the visit operation,
-    /// the semantic depend on the [cppast::visitor_info::event_type]().
+    /// Visits a [cppast::cpp_entity]() and children.
+    ///
+    /// \effects It will invoke the callback - the visitor - for the current entity and children,
+    /// as controlled by the [cppast::visitor_result]().
+    /// The visitor is given a reference to the currently visited entity and the [cppast::visitor_info]().
+    ///
+    /// \requires The visitor must be callable as specified and must either return `bool` or nothing.
+    /// If it returns nothing, a return value [cppast::visitor_result::continue_visit]() is assumed.
     template <typename Func>
     void visit(const cpp_entity& e, Func f)
     {
-        detail::visit(e, &detail::visitor_callback<Func>, &f, cpp_public, false);
+        detail::visit(e, detail::get_visitor_callback<Func>(), &f, cpp_public, false);
     }
 
-    /// Visits a [cppast::cpp_entity]().
-    /// \effects Invokes the callback for the current entity,
-    /// and child entities that match the given predicate.
-    /// It will pass a reference to the current entity and the [cppast::visitor_info]().
-    /// The return value of the callback controls the visit operation,
-    /// the semantic depend on the [cppast::visitor_info::event_type]().
-    template <typename Func, typename Predicate>
-    void visit(const cpp_entity& e, Predicate pred, Func f)
+    /// The result of a visitor filter operation.
+    enum class visit_filter
     {
-        visit(e, [&](const cpp_entity& e, visitor_info& info) {
-            if (pred(e))
-                return f(e, info);
-            return true;
+        include = true,  //< The entity is included.
+        exclude = false, //< The entity is excluded and will not be visited.
+        exclude_and_children =
+            2, //< The entity and all direct children are excluded and will not be visited.
+    };
+
+    namespace detail
+    {
+        using visitor_filter_t = visit_filter (*)(const cpp_entity&);
+
+        template <typename Filter>
+        auto invoke_visit_filter(int, Filter f, const cpp_entity& e,
+                                 cpp_access_specifier_kind access)
+            -> decltype(static_cast<visit_filter>(f(e, access)))
+        {
+            return static_cast<visit_filter>(f(e, access));
+        }
+
+        template <typename Filter>
+        auto invoke_visit_filter(short, Filter f, const cpp_entity& e, cpp_access_specifier_kind)
+            -> decltype(static_cast<visit_filter>(f(e)))
+        {
+            return static_cast<visit_filter>(f(e));
+        }
+    } // namespace detail
+
+    /// Visits a [cppast::cpp_entity]() and children that pass a given filter.
+    ///
+    /// \effects It behaves like the non-filtered visit except it will only invoke the visitor for entities that match the filter.
+    /// The filter is a predicate that will be invoked with the current entity and access specifier first and the result converted to [cppast::visit_filter]().
+    /// Visit will behave accordingly.
+    ///
+    /// \requires The visitor must be as specified for the other overload.
+    /// The filter must be a function taking a [cppast::cpp_entity]() as first parameter and optionally a [cppast::cpp_access_specifier_kind]() as second.
+    /// It must return a `bool` or a [cppast::visit_filter]().
+    template <typename Func, typename Filter>
+    void visit(const cpp_entity& e, Filter filter, Func f)
+    {
+        visit(e, [&](const cpp_entity& e, const visitor_info& info) -> bool {
+            auto result = detail::invoke_visit_filter(0, filter, e, info.access);
+            switch (result)
+            {
+            case visit_filter::include:
+                return detail::get_visitor_callback<Func>()(&f, e, info);
+            case visit_filter::exclude:
+                return continue_visit;
+            case visit_filter::exclude_and_children:
+                // exclude children if entering
+                if (info.event == visitor_info::container_entity_enter)
+                    return continue_visit_no_children;
+                else
+                    return continue_visit;
+            }
         });
     }
 
-    /// Generates, at compile-time, a predicate that returns true iff the
-    /// given entity holds one of the [cppast::cpp_entity_kind]()s specified
-    /// in paramaters of the blacklist template.
-    template <cpp_entity_kind... K>
-    detail::visitor_predicate_t whitelist()
+    /// \exclude
+    namespace detail
     {
-        static_assert(sizeof...(K) > 0, "At least one entity kind should be specified");
-        return [](const cpp_entity& e) {
+        template <cpp_entity_kind... K>
+        bool has_one_of_kind(const cpp_entity& e)
+        {
+            static_assert(sizeof...(K) > 0, "At least one entity kind must be specified");
             bool result = false;
-            // this ugliness avoids recursive expansion which would be required in C++11,
-            // otherwise known as poor man's fold expression.
-            (void)std::initializer_list<int>{(result = result || (K == e.kind()), 0)...};
+
+            // poor men's fold
+            int dummy[]{(result |= (K == e.kind()), 0)...};
+            (void)dummy;
+
             return result;
+        }
+    } // namespace detail
+
+    /// Generates a blacklist visitor filter.
+    ///
+    /// \returns A visitor filter that excludes all entities having one of the specified kinds.
+    template <cpp_entity_kind... Kinds>
+    detail::visitor_filter_t blacklist()
+    {
+        return [](const cpp_entity& e) {
+            return detail::has_one_of_kind<Kinds...>(e) ? visit_filter::exclude :
+                                                          visit_filter::include;
         };
     }
 
-    /// Generates, at compile-time, a predicate that returns true iff the
-    /// given entity holds a [cppast::cpp_entity_kind]() that's different
-    /// from all of those specified in the paramaters of the blacklist template.
-    template <cpp_entity_kind... K>
-    detail::visitor_predicate_t blacklist()
+    /// Generates a blacklist visitor filter.
+    ///
+    /// \returns A visitor filter that excludes all entities having one of the specified kinds and children of those entities.
+    template <cpp_entity_kind... Kinds>
+    detail::visitor_filter_t blacklist_and_children()
     {
-        static_assert(sizeof...(K) > 0, "At least one entity kind should be specified");
         return [](const cpp_entity& e) {
-            bool result = true;
-            (void)std::initializer_list<int>{(result = result && (K != e.kind()), 0)...};
-            return result;
+            return detail::has_one_of_kind<Kinds...>(e) ? visit_filter::exclude_and_children :
+                                                          visit_filter::include;
+        };
+    }
+
+    /// Generates a whitelist visitor filter.
+    ///
+    /// \returns A visitor filter that excludes all entities having not one of the specified kinds.
+    template <cpp_entity_kind... Kinds>
+    detail::visitor_filter_t whitelist()
+    {
+        return [](const cpp_entity& e) {
+            return detail::has_one_of_kind<Kinds...>(e) ? visit_filter::include :
+                                                          visit_filter::exclude;
         };
     }
 } // namespace cppast
diff --git a/test/visitor.cpp b/test/visitor.cpp
index df4ed00..fb9abf3 100644
--- a/test/visitor.cpp
+++ b/test/visitor.cpp
@@ -19,9 +19,9 @@ TEST_CASE("visitor_filtered")
     )";
 
     cpp_entity_index idx;
-    auto             file           = parse(idx, "cpp_class.cpp", code);
-    unsigned         filtered_count = 0;
-    auto visitor_callback           = [&](const cpp_entity&, cppast::visitor_info info) {
+    auto             file             = parse(idx, "cpp_class.cpp", code);
+    unsigned         filtered_count   = 0;
+    auto             visitor_callback = [&](const cpp_entity&, cppast::visitor_info info) {
         if (info.event != cppast::visitor_info::container_entity_exit)
             ++filtered_count;
         return true;
@@ -83,4 +83,24 @@ TEST_CASE("visitor_filtered")
             REQUIRE(filtered_count == all_node_count - enum_count - class_count);
         }
     }
+    SECTION("blacklist_and_children")
+    {
+        SECTION("only one kind blacklisted")
+        {
+            filtered_count = 0;
+            cppast::visit(*file, blacklist_and_children<cpp_entity_kind::file_t>(),
+                          visitor_callback);
+            REQUIRE(filtered_count == 0);
+        }
+
+        SECTION("many kinds blacklisted")
+        {
+            filtered_count = 0;
+            cppast::visit(*file,
+                          blacklist_and_children<cpp_entity_kind::enum_t,
+                                                 cpp_entity_kind::class_t>(),
+                          visitor_callback);
+            REQUIRE(filtered_count == all_node_count - enum_count - class_count);
+        }
+    }
 }