Noir

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Pronunciation: /ˈnwɑː/

Definitions

1. A dark, cynical style in film and literature featuring crime, moral ambiguity, and shadowy urban settings
2. A genre of fiction and cinema characterized by cynical themes, criminal intrigue, shadowy aesthetics, and morally corrupt protagonists operating in urban environments
3. A dark artistic movement emphasizing pessimism, detective narratives, shadowy visual style, and the corruption inherent in crime-ridden city life

Etymology: Few English words share a root with a term for people, but this one does. French "noir" means "black," and it comes from Latin "niger," the same source as English "negro." The two words are doublets: they descend from one Latin word but reached English by different routes, with "noir" through French and "negro" through Spanish or Portuguese. In English, "noir" is a shortened form of "film noir," a French phrase meaning "black film." The clipped form now works alone as a noun and an adjective for the dark, cynical crime style that the longer phrase named.

Synonyms: dark, gloomy, bleak, pessimistic, melancholy

Antonyms: cheerful, bright, optimistic, light