film noir

noun

plural film noirs -ˈnwär(z) How to pronounce film noir (audio) or films noir or films noirs -ˈnwär How to pronounce film noir (audio)
: 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
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Other times there are thematic elements like film noir. Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2026 There are also deleted scenes and a trailer, and an accompanying booklet is stuffed with informative essays and interviews (including an analysis by the always astute film noir expert Travis Woods). Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 1 Apr. 2026 And those songs trudge, Tom Waits-like, only to unwind, long and dense, full of allusions to history and Greek myth and film noir and pop culture and mentors and friends, plus death and apocalypse. Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026 Lest film noir be seen as purely the stuff of escapism, the hosts note that many of these music-centric films deal with issues of race and/or personal economics. Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for film noir

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, black film

First Known Use

1930, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of film noir was in 1930

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Cite this Entry

“Film noir.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/film%20noir. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.

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