# noir

/ˈnɔɪɹ/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/noir
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. film or fiction genre

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a type of movie or book that shows a dark, cynical world, usually involving crime and detectives.

For teachers: a genre of cinematic or literary fiction characterized by fatalism, moral ambiguity, and low-key lighting.

- The director is famous for his modern noir films set in Los Angeles.
- The festival featured a retrospective of classic 1940s noir, highlighting the genre's obsession with the femme fatale and urban decay.

### 2. having a dark style

adjective · CEFR C1 · Technical

describing something that has the dark, moody, or mysterious feeling of a crime movie.

For teachers: relating to or suggestive of film noir, particularly in its atmospheric or thematic darkness.

- The novel has a very noir atmosphere, with rain-soaked streets and a lonely hero.
- The cinematographer employed high-contrast lighting to achieve a noir aesthetic that mirrored the protagonist's internal conflict.

## Examples

- The movie is a classic example of Hollywood noir.
- The director used heavy shadows and a rainy city backdrop to give the thriller a distinct noir feel.
- While originally a cinematic movement of the 1940s, noir has evolved into a literary aesthetic that explores the darker impulses of human nature through a lens of inevitable tragedy.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.