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Definition of noir

noir

/nwɑːr/
noir
Plural:noirs
•
Adjective:noirish
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noir Lexical Profile

noir Game Scores & Validity

• adjective

1

Relating to, characteristic of, or belonging to the genre of film noir or hard-boiled crime fiction, featuring dark, cynical, and fatalistic themes.

Example

"The novel features a classic noir atmosphere with rain-slicked city streets and morally ambiguous characters."

Synonyms
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Antonyms
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• noun

1

A genre of crime film or fiction characterized by cynicism, fatalism, and moral ambiguity, or an individual film or book in this genre.

Example

"The cinema is hosting a weekend retrospective of classic 1940s detective noirs."

2

In roulette, a bet placed on the black-numbered spaces, or those spaces collectively.

Example

"The player placed his remaining chips on noir and watched the roulette wheel spin."

Synonyms
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Antonyms
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• Rhymes for noir

• Nearby Words

nohkalikai
nohow
nohsngithiang
noir
noise
noiseless
noiselessly

Word Origin & Etymology

Borrowed from the French word 'noir' (meaning 'black'), derived from Latin 'niger'. In English, it entered widespread use as a shortening of the cinematic term 'film noir', coined by French film critics in 1946 to describe dark, cynical American crime dramas.

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Noir. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/noir
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