# film noir

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A film genre characterized by low-key lighting, a bleak urban setting, and corrupt, cynical or desperate characters.
2. An individual film in this genre.

## Etymology
Borrowed from French film noir (“dark film”, literally “black film”), attributed to French film critic Nino Frank (1946).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/film-noir