: 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
By prioritizing the female characters’ perspective, Bound becomes a stylish subversion of film noir conventions, allowing the women at the center to exploit the paranoid masculine posturing of the crime-movie world for personal gain.
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Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 27 Mar. 2024
The 1955 movie is considered a film noir classic and certainly sets a high bar.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Mar. 2024
The playlist includes film noir music from the 1940s, Italian composers Piero Umiliani and Ennio Morricone, Argentine composer Luis Bacalov and American singer Patsy Cline, among others.
—Mike Palm, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2024
Rihanna and her partner A$AP Rocky put their twist on the popular ‘40s genre to promote Fenty Beauty’s Lux Balm Ultra-Hydrating Cherry Lip Balm, complete with Rih's take on film noir femme fatale hair.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 29 Feb. 2024
His work from the 1940s to 1960s spanned nearly every genre, from film noir to Western to religious epic.
—Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2024
Nigerian actress Temi Otedola oozed the mystery of a film noir femme fatale in a floor-length black coat, tightly cinched with the lacy hint of a negligee peeking out beneath.
—Ian Malone, Vogue, 4 Mar. 2024
Photo : Burgess Yachts The Bogart Connection The name Maltese Falcon was inspired by the 1941 American film noir of the same name, directed by John Huston, that starred Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre.
—Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 23 Feb. 2024
Hines’ Allan can’t really do much more with his role than play up the film noir ambiance of spymaster scenes that have an inserted feeling.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2024
Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 27 Mar. 2024
The 1955 movie is considered a film noir classic and certainly sets a high bar.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Mar. 2024
The playlist includes film noir music from the 1940s, Italian composers Piero Umiliani and Ennio Morricone, Argentine composer Luis Bacalov and American singer Patsy Cline, among others.
—Mike Palm, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2024
Rihanna and her partner A$AP Rocky put their twist on the popular ‘40s genre to promote Fenty Beauty’s Lux Balm Ultra-Hydrating Cherry Lip Balm, complete with Rih's take on film noir femme fatale hair.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 29 Feb. 2024
His work from the 1940s to 1960s spanned nearly every genre, from film noir to Western to religious epic.
—Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2024
Nigerian actress Temi Otedola oozed the mystery of a film noir femme fatale in a floor-length black coat, tightly cinched with the lacy hint of a negligee peeking out beneath.
—Ian Malone, Vogue, 4 Mar. 2024
Photo : Burgess Yachts The Bogart Connection The name Maltese Falcon was inspired by the 1941 American film noir of the same name, directed by John Huston, that starred Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre.
—Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 23 Feb. 2024
Hines’ Allan can’t really do much more with his role than play up the film noir ambiance of spymaster scenes that have an inserted feeling.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'film noir.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Film noir.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/film%20noir. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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