noir

1 of 2

noun

ˈnwär 

1

: crime fiction featuring hard-boiled cynical characters and bleak sleazy settings

an example of classic noir

2

: film noir

a comedy dressed in the trappings of an edgy noir

noirish

ˈnwär-ish 

adjective

noir

2 of 2

adjective

: having a bleak and darkly cynical quality of the kind associated with hard-boiled crime fiction and film noir

a noir thriller

In this boldly styled first novel, Komarnicki follows a 30-year-old homeless man on a noir odyssey of death and survival through the streets of New Orleans and Hong Kong.

—Sybil S. Steinberg

The plot of this violent fairy tale is as noir and nasty as the characters.

—Marilyn Stasio

Examples of noir in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The tech-dystopian Washington of Minority Report (2002) is bleached in cold blues and metallic noir shadows. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2026

The actress became a regular face over the course of the next decade before achieving cult status with now-cult favorite Showgirls (1995) and the Wachowskis’ stylish lesbian noir Bound (1996). — Sezin Devi Koehler, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Oct. 2026

Through six of eight episodes, Harjo’s Southern noir remains an immensely enjoyable TV series. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2026

Gilpin makes the perfect femme fatale for the show’s loose riff on a noir. — Alison Herman, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

short for film noir

First Known Use

Noun

1977, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1958, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing noir

• beurre noir
• film noir
• pinot noir

Rhymes for noir

• moire
• boudoir