film noir

[ nwahr ]

/ nwɑr /

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noun

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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showing self-respect

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acting selfishly

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Origin of film noir

1955–60; <French: literally, black film

Words nearby film noir

filming, filmization, filmland, film library, filmmaker, film noir, filmography, film pack, film recorder, film school, filmset

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use film noir in a sentence

Whether sleek or jagged, classic film noirs boast a sharp-edged ferocity and despair, as if the world—and the lives of its tiny inhabitants—were perched on the edge of a lethal blade.
‘Nightmare Alley’ Is One Bloated Hollywood Freak Show|Nick Schager|December 17, 2021|The Daily Beast
It was seen by a small delegation of star-struck prelates and dignitaries who later described the film as “moving.”
Pope Francis Has the Pleasure of Meeting Angelina Jolie for a Few Seconds|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Angelina Jolie was able to seemingly glide into the Vatican on Thursday to present her new film ‘Unbroken.’
Pope Francis Has the Pleasure of Meeting Angelina Jolie for a Few Seconds|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Lee and Coogan did briefly meet with the pope, with pictures to prove it, but no one at the Vatican officially screened the film.
Pope Francis Has the Pleasure of Meeting Angelina Jolie for a Few Seconds|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

You write a lot about how you were a jerk or a snob when it came to comedy or film.
Patton Oswalt on Fighting Conservatives With Satire|William O’Connor|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
What made you want to write a memoir now about your “addiction” to film?
Patton Oswalt on Fighting Conservatives With Satire|William O’Connor|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The differential count is best made upon a film stained with Wright's, Jenner's, or Ehrlich's stain.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Go carefully over the film with an oil-immersion lens, using a mechanical stage if available.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
They must be kept away from flies—a fly can work havoc with a film in a few minutes.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
The film must be carefully fixed by heat: underheating causes the erythrocytes to stain red; overheating, pale yellow.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
The excess of stain is poured off, and the preparation introduced slowly, with the film side down, into distilled water.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd

British Dictionary definitions for film noir

film noir

/ (nwɑː) /

noun

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

Word Origin for film noir

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