film noir

[ nwahr ]

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.

Origin of film noir

1
1955–60; <French: literally, black film

Words Nearby film noir

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use film noir in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for film noir

film noir

/ (nwɑː) /


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

Origin of film noir

1
C20: French, literally: black film

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