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
Judy Berman, Time, 13 Feb. 2026
Salazar-Thompson’s ingenious new version of Hammett’s noir masterpiece features five versatile performers transforming between roles to bring 1920s San Francisco’s underbelly to hilarious life.
—Ut Community Press, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2026
In quasi-noir mode, the action cuts back repeatedly to Elliot in rough shape in a police interrogation room, being questioned by two detectives (Margaret Cho and Johnny Knoxville, relishing the chance to shove aside their anticonventional reputations and play stern authority figures).
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 24 Jan. 2026
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Noun
After rendering a contemporary Native American community in specific, surreal, often hilarious detail in Reservation Dogs, Sterlin Harjo turned to noir with The Lowdown.
—Judy Berman, Time, 13 Feb. 2026
Salazar-Thompson’s ingenious new version of Hammett’s noir masterpiece features five versatile performers transforming between roles to bring 1920s San Francisco’s underbelly to hilarious life.
—Ut Community Press, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
The esteemed director worked with the actress back in 1984 on the neo-noir comedy After Hours.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2026
In quasi-noir mode, the action cuts back repeatedly to Elliot in rough shape in a police interrogation room, being questioned by two detectives (Margaret Cho and Johnny Knoxville, relishing the chance to shove aside their anticonventional reputations and play stern authority figures).
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for noir
Cite this Entry
“Noir.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/noir. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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