First Known Use: 1958
Dictionary
film noir
noun \-ˈnwär\
: a movie about crime that uses dark shadows and lighting to show the complicated moral nature of the subject; also : this style of film
plural film noirs \-ˈnwär(z)\ or films noir or films noirs \-ˈnwär\
Full Definition of FILM NOIR
: 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
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Origin of FILM NOIR
French, literally, black film
Rhymes with FILM NOIR
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