: a type of crime film featuring cynical malevolent characters in a sleazy setting and an ominous atmosphere that is conveyed by shadowy photography and foreboding background music
also
: a film of this type
Examples of film noir in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Peterson’s black-and-white images, heavy with flash and shadows, evoke film noir and the urban-crime photography of the nineteen-thirties and forties.
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Mark Peterson, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Similar to the album’s sound, the visuals emphasize film noir undertones and romantic motifs commonly found throughout old school R&B depictions.
—Malik Peay, Essence, 11 July 2025
As for Jake, Soderbergh compares Clooney’s character to another film noir icon with the same name: Chinatown’s Jake Gittes.
—Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
The couple, who Walter thinks are straight out of film noir, bond with him over mutual love of cinema and classics from Hollywood’s golden age.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 22 June 2025
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Mark Peterson, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Similar to the album’s sound, the visuals emphasize film noir undertones and romantic motifs commonly found throughout old school R&B depictions.
—Malik Peay, Essence, 11 July 2025
As for Jake, Soderbergh compares Clooney’s character to another film noir icon with the same name: Chinatown’s Jake Gittes.
—Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
The couple, who Walter thinks are straight out of film noir, bond with him over mutual love of cinema and classics from Hollywood’s golden age.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 22 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for film noir
Cite this Entry
“Film noir.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/film%20noir. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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