cinephile

American

[sin-uh-fahyl] / ˈsɪn əˌfaɪl /

noun

a devoted moviegoer, especially one knowledgeable about the cinema.

cinephile British

/ ˈsɪnɪˌfaɪl /

noun

a person who loves films and cinema

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of cinephile

1965–70; < French, equivalent to ciné- cine- + -phile -phile

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

cinephile

Sony Pictures Entertainment, A24 and the New York Times Co. are among the potential suitors looking to buy the cinephile social network Letterboxd.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

Sites such as Reddit and Letterboxd also spread reactions to an ever-growing legion of cinephile fans online.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026

Which company will emerge victorious here…will the biggest loser be the cinephile consumer?

From Slate ● Dec. 10, 2025

The centre of the City of Light has the highest density of silver screens in the world per capita and arguably one of the most cinephile local populations.

From Barron's ● Nov. 29, 2025

As an avid cinephile, I had a personal goal to reach 100 movies before the end of last year.

From Salon ● Jan. 4, 2025

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023