Meanings
nounfilm noir (countable and uncountable, plural film noirs or films noirs)
plural film noirs · plural films noirs
- uncountablebroadcastingA film genre characterized by low-key lighting, a bleak urban setting, and corrupt, cynical or desperate characters.
During this period his own films were being studied alongside classic film noir together with European arthouse cinema and the works of directors from around the world.
2017, Ian Brookes, Film Noir: A Critical Introduction, Bloomsbury Publishing USA, →ISBN - countableAn individual film in this genre.
Origin
- Frenchfilm noir“dark film”
- Englishfilm noir
Borrowed from French film noir (“dark film”, literally “black film”), attributed to French film critic Nino Frank (1946).
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
French film noir
- film noirgenre
Japanese フィルム・ノワール
- フィルム・ノワールgenre
Polish film noir
- film noirgenre
Cite this entry
APA
film noir. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/film%20noir
MLA
“film noir.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/film%20noir. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “film noir,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/film%20noir.
Source: film noir on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.