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

New management promising new approaches is securely in place at Laguna Playhouse, yet the theater’s recent constant preoccupation with light-hearted spoofing of last-century whodunits, thrillers and detective noir continues to occupy this stage. — Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 6 Nov. 2026

Luc has a distinctive cinematic vision for the film, blending the atmosphere of classic noir with the pace and intensity of a contemporary thriller. — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 3 Nov. 2026

Korean sales outfit Finecut has sold Park Hoon-jung’s action noir Tristes Tropiques to several key territories, including North America, where it has been acquired by Well Go USA. — Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 3 Nov. 2026

This fascinating riff on a cyber-noir ghost story is set in 3025, where the dead can be resurrected as holographic specters. — Literary Hub, 2 Nov. 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