film noir
noun
\ -ˈnwär
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plural film noirs\ -ˈnwär(z)
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or films noir
or films noirs\ -ˈnwär
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or films noir
or films noirs\ -ˈnwär
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Definition of film noir
: 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
The Riverdale couple joined together to cover W Magazine's August issue, adopting a creepy, film noir aesthetic for the shoot. — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "Lili Reinhart and Cole Sprouse Break Their Silence Following Reports of Their Breakup," 25 July 2019 The most immediate standout is a three-night series of double features that pair a classic Hollywood film noir with a contemporaneous screwball comedy. — Jordan Cronk, The Hollywood Reporter, "Critic's Picks: A July To-Do List for Film Buffs in L.A.," 1 July 2019 The Road to Redemption Angel found its rhythm and tone, paying homage to classic film noir and mixing genres along the way. — Ruth Kinane, EW.com, "Angel cast and creators reunite for 20th anniversary of beloved vampire drama series," 20 June 2019 His debut feature film, Brick (2005), was a crime drama with film noir overtones, largely inspired by the works of Dashiell Hammett and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Rian Johnson trades in lightsabers for postmodern whodunnit Knives Out," 2 July 2019 Humphrey Bogart’s slickness in the seminal film noir The Maltese Falcon, camp. — Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, "An Ode to the Campiest Film You’ve Probably Never Seen," 19 Apr. 2019 Cage’s Spider-Man Noir is a parody of goofy film noir clichés. — Bryan Bishop, The Verge, "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is dazzling, hilarious, and unique," 14 Dec. 2018 Directed by Alston's brother Julius Ramsay, whose credits include directing and editing episodes of The Walking Dead, Midnighters is a low-budget film noir that benefits greatly from its tautness and lack of pretension. — Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Midnighters': Film Review," 1 Mar. 2018 The whole thing is very film noir, which may connect to the noir episode coming later this season. — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "9 Secret Signs in the New "Riverdale" Trailer That Prove Season 3 Part 2 Will Be Epic," 10 Jan. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'film noir.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for film noir
film noir
noun
English Language Learners Definition of film noir
: a movie about crime that uses dark shadows and lighting to show the complicated moral nature of the subject
also
: this style of film
See the full definition for film noir in the English Language Learners Dictionary