- a type of film, esp. of the 1940s and 1950s, fatalistic, pessimistic, or cynical in mood and often dealing melodramatically with urban crime and corruption
- pl. films noirs a film of this type
Origin of film noir
Fr, literally , black film
noun
Film noir is defined as a genre of urban crime movies from the 1940s and 1950s with a melodramatic, bleak or cynical feel.
An example of film noir is a Humphrey Bogart movie.
YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp
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"film noir." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 09 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/film-noir>.
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film noir. (n.d.). Retrieved April 09th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/film-noir
film noir
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"film noir." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 09 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/film-noir>.
APA Style
film noir. (n.d.). Retrieved April 09th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/film-noir
film noir
noun
pl. film noirs, or films noirs- A movie characterized by low-key lighting, a bleak urban setting, and corrupt, cynical characters.
- The genre or style of such movies.
Origin of film noir
French film film ( from English film ; see film . ) noir black ( from Old French) ( from Latin niger, nigr- ; see nekw-t- in Indo-European roots.)THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"film noir." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 09 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/film-noir>.
APA Style
film noir. (n.d.). Retrieved April 09th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/film-noir
Noun
(plural film noirs or films noirs)
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"film noir." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 09 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/film-noir>.
APA Style
film noir. (n.d.). Retrieved April 09th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/film-noir
Sentence Examples
- The story behind Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne is one of absolute brilliance, done in a fantastic film-noir style, and told through beautiful comic book panels.
- The Cowboy Casanova himself is a shady figure, never seen in full light, but his outfit looks more like a film-noir detective than a cowboy.
- "Her 1940's film-noir toughness... has made her an instant sensation.
WORDS NEAR film noir IN THE DICTIONARY
- film noir
- film-noirs
- film-out
- film pack