gallows humor

noun

: humor that makes fun of a life-threatening, disastrous, or terrifying situation

Examples of gallows humor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Notopoulos also saw the gallows humor in the absurd feature. Frank Landymore, Futurism, 30 Apr. 2026 This is the kind of wry, unexpected gallows humor that this show does so well. Jen Chaney, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2026 What recourse is there for those who do care, other than resigned acceptance and a bit of gallows humor? Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 26 Apr. 2026 Obviously Hitchcock is British himself, but has that same dark, gallows humor, the same sort of macabre tone to his work, the surprise endings. Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for gallows humor

Word History

First Known Use

1901, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gallows humor was in 1901

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Cite this Entry

“Gallows humor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gallows%20humor. Accessed 13 May. 2026.

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