film noir

American  

[nwahr] / nwɑr /

noun

1. a motion picture with an often grim urban setting, photographed in somber tones and permeated by a feeling of disillusionment, pessimism, and despair.

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film noir British  

/ nwɑː /

noun

1. a gangster thriller, made esp in the 1940s in Hollywood characterized by contrasty lighting and often somewhat impenetrable plots

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Etymology

Origin of film noir

1955–60; < French: literally, black film

Example Sentences

The drama is thought to be an homage to the film noir style - a hallmark in Hollywood during the 1940s and 1950s, with its shadowy looks and gritty plots.

From BBC • May 27, 2026

For Cage, it’s a combination of its visual aesthetic and the moral ambiguity of the mysteries and illicit affairs in film noir that have made the genre endure among cinephiles.

From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026

A grey flannel coat was inspired by film noir, featuring a stripe detail that took inspiration from Venetian blinds.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026

Having named the genre, the French can claim a special connection to that loose collection of cinematic tropes we call film noir.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 21, 2026

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Broadcasting House programme, he said the "list of imagined assassination methods" on his life "reads like a film noir".

From BBC • Mar. 9, 2025