1
: crime fiction featuring hard-boiled cynical characters and bleak sleazy settings
an example of classic noir
2
: film noir
a comedy dressed in the trappings of an edgy noir
: having a bleak and darkly cynical quality of the kind associated with hard-boiled crime fiction and film noir
a noir thriller
In this boldly styled first novel, Komarnicki follows a 30-year-old homeless man on a noir odyssey of death and survival through the streets of New Orleans and Hong Kong.—
Sybil S. Steinberg
Sybil S. SteinbergThe plot of this violent fairy tale is as noir and nasty as the characters.—Marilyn Stasio
Marilyn StasioExamples of noir in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Chelsea Daniel, Vogue, 26 Aug. 2025
To better preserve their likability, the film seems to want to situate Penny Jo and Lefty on the periphery of most of the truly violent action, but there are early hints, in the best noir tradition, that neither character will get away spiritually clean.
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2025
Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2025
There’s also, of course, the lesbian neo-noir classics Bound and Mulholland Drive.
—James Factora, Them., 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for noir
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Noun
After nearly two decades apart, Spike Lee and Denzel Washington have reunited for Highest 2 Lowest—a bold reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s classic noir High and Low—with an all-star cast, including Jeffrey Wright, A$AP Rocky, and even Ice Spice.
—Chelsea Daniel, Vogue, 26 Aug. 2025
To better preserve their likability, the film seems to want to situate Penny Jo and Lefty on the periphery of most of the truly violent action, but there are early hints, in the best noir tradition, that neither character will get away spiritually clean.
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Americana is worth seeing — for Sweeney and her instant classic neo-noir characterization.
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2025
There’s also, of course, the lesbian neo-noir classics Bound and Mulholland Drive.
—James Factora, Them., 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for noir
Cite this Entry
“Noir.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/noir. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025.
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