film noir

noun

-ˈnwär 

plural film noirs -ˈnwär(z)  or films noir or films noirs -ˈnwär 

: 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

Carpenter arrived to the stage in a vintage vehicle that appeared in her opening film noir nod. —Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 11 Apr. 2026

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

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, black film

First Known Use

1930, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for film noir

• boudoir
• moire