noir

American

[nwar] / nwar /

adjective

French.

black; noting the black numbers in roulette.

noir British

/ nwɑː /

adjective

(of a film) showing characteristics of a film noir , in plot or style

"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

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.

Screen Rant suggests black and white helps "the show's noir aesthetic".

From BBC • May 27, 2026

Reviews were mostly positive about his first effort, with Deadline calling it a "wonderfully atmospheric, nostalgic and entertaining contemporary noir".

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

Times mystery/thriller books prize in 2020 for his gripping noir “Blacktop Wasteland,” and this year he is up for the same award for his brilliantly plotted thriller “King of Ashes.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

The five novels here, published between 1954 and 1964 as paperback originals, stand in the noir tradition of James M. Cain, Chester Himes and David Goodis.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

“Ah, pinot noir is making a comeback. Don’t mind me.”

From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan

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