: a type of crime film featuring cynical malevolent characters in a sleazy setting and an ominous atmosphere that is conveyed by shadowy photography and foreboding background music
also
: a film of this type
Examples of film noir in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Perez and Muller’s seated conversation preceded a screening of the 1957 film noir Sweet Smell of Success, starring Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis.
—
Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 4 Feb. 2026
Elegantly lensed and colorfully designed, this film noir time capsule has shades of both Chinatown and In the Mood for Love, setting an impossible romance against the corrupt backdrop of Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorship circa 1979.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 4 Feb. 2026
To the right, a lone figure in a three-piece ensemble strides past - a flash of film noir in a modern-day manhunt.
—NPR, 9 Nov. 2025
For example, Swan Lake, created with Jacki Apple, combines a film noir murder trope with the glitzy alluring language of high-end advertising.
—Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for film noir
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Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 4 Feb. 2026
Elegantly lensed and colorfully designed, this film noir time capsule has shades of both Chinatown and In the Mood for Love, setting an impossible romance against the corrupt backdrop of Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorship circa 1979.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 4 Feb. 2026
To the right, a lone figure in a three-piece ensemble strides past - a flash of film noir in a modern-day manhunt.
—NPR, 9 Nov. 2025
For example, Swan Lake, created with Jacki Apple, combines a film noir murder trope with the glitzy alluring language of high-end advertising.
—Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for film noir
Cite this Entry
“Film noir.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/film%20noir. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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