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

But this sleekly miserable noir about the aftermath of a feckless man’s confrontation with his wife’s younger lover transports the stuff of archetype into Putin’s Russia. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 14 Sep. 2026

Is Ancestors, the directorial feature debut of The Lodgers and The Winter Lake writer David Turpin, a love story, a noir mystery or a metaphysical fable? — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2026

The Ultimate Digital Leash No noir detective story is complete without a session of tailing the suspect through the gritty streets and alleys. — Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 10 Sep. 2026

Its thick air of jazzy noir is a portal into a conversation around women’s health and how many women aren’t taken seriously when trying to advocate for their well-being. — Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 7 Sep. 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