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🎭 Like Marlowe's style 🕵️ Like a tough detective
Marlowesque

Marlowesque

9.9
Having a tough, cynical tone and unclear morals like the detective Philip Marlowe
  • adjective
  • /ˌmɑrloʊˈɛsk/
  • Literature
: marlowesco
  • The detective's Marlowesque attitude made him both admired and feared by his colleagues.

Examples

  • Her writing style is distinctly Marlowesque, filled with sharp wit and moral complexity.

  • Critics praised the film's Marlowesque dialogue and gritty urban setting.

  • The protagonist in the novel is a Marlowesque character, full of contradictions.

  • Her writing style is distinctly Marlowesque.

  • The detective's Marlowesque attitude made him both admired and feared by his colleagues.

  • Critics praised the film's Marlowesque dialogue and gritty urban setting.

  • Her writing style is distinctly Marlowesque, filled with sharp wit and moral complexity.

Synonyms

noir
vsMarlowesque
  • Literature
30 7.4

Having a dark, sad mood where right and wrong are unclear

is more about a tough, cynical character rather than general atmosphere

How Marlowesque

Marlowesque
  • Literature
9.9
reminiscent
61 5.7

Surface Forms

Marlowesque positive

Morphology

Marlowesque = Marlowe (transparent) = Marlowe + esque

Clearly formed from the name 'Marlowe' (Philip Marlowe) plus '-esque', indicating resemblance to that character's style or tone.

Etymology

Marlowesque is formed from the name Marlowe (the fictional detective Philip Marlowe) and the ending -esque, meaning 'in the style of', just like picturesque. That makes Marlowesque an easy way to say someone or something is tough, cynical, and morally mixed, like the detective.