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

Written by Hans Rosenfeldt, who created Nordic noir series The Bridge and ITV-Netflix co-production Marcella, the show is based on the adventure novel from Swedish author Astrid Lindgren, who is behind the Pippi Longstocking novels and has sold more than 165 million books worldwide. —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2024

This line, spoken by a man who will suffer unspeakable tragedy in his future, sums up the beating heart of Nilanjana Roy’s standout noir epic BLACK RIVER (Pushkin Vertigo, 350 pp., paperback, $17.95), which uses the trappings of the mystery to examine deeper ills in modern India. —Sarah Weinman, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2024

Adjective

From there, the film goes off the rails in a noir-ish third act as both Jack and Babbette are sent over the edge and driven to acts of desperation. —Joey Morona, cleveland, 29 Nov. 2022

There are a lot of familiar genre elements, in terms of neo-noir detective stories, as well as classic vigilante superhero stories. —Hazlitt, 21 July 2022

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