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

Multi-hyphenate Edgerton made his feature film directorial debut with the 2008 Australian film noir The Square, written by his brother and frequent collaborator Joel Edgerton. —Denise Petski, Deadline, 26 Sep. 2025

In using the language of film noir, Harjo and Hawke get to do a kind of character work that other kinds of stories simply don’t allow. —Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2025

Peterson’s black-and-white images, heavy with flash and shadows, evoke film noir and the urban-crime photography of the nineteen-thirties and forties. —Mark Peterson, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025

The film noir setting provides terrific opportunities to shake up the drama, including some witty sound dynamics from designer Christian Pizzirani. —David John Chávez, Mercury News, 30 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, black film

First Known Use

1930, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for film noir

• boudoir
• moire