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 WebChris Willman, Variety, 6 May 2024
Messud, the daughter of a pied noir father and a Canadian mother, was born in the U.S., raised in Sydney and Toronto, and educated at Yale and Cambridge.
—Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 6 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for noir 
Noun
Sadly, many of the actual stars of the film noir era of the ’40s and ’50s who used to turn up as guests at this and other noir fests have moved on to that great heist aftermath in the sky.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 6 May 2024
Messud, the daughter of a pied noir father and a Canadian mother, was born in the U.S., raised in Sydney and Toronto, and educated at Yale and Cambridge.
—Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 6 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for noir
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'noir.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near noir
Cite this Entry
“Noir.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/noir. Accessed 13 May. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share