black comedy
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of black comedy
First recorded in 1965–70
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Where some see a black comedy, others see horror and/or a bleak exploration of the pressures of motherhood — an increasingly popular subgenre referred to by some as “mum noir.”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2026
The actress is set to appear in two more forthcoming films: Enid Blyton fantasy The Magic Faraway Tree, and the black comedy Savage House, opposite Richard E Grant.
From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026
The multihyphenate entertainer has secured the Golden Globe for supporting actress in a motion picture for her performance as revolutionary Perfidia Beverly Hills in Paul Thomas Anderson’s black comedy “One Battle After Another.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2026
The Globes also honor the best in television, with HBO's black comedy anthology "The White Lotus," sci-fi office thriller "Severance" and searing teen murder saga "Adolescence" leading the contenders.
From Barron's • Jan. 11, 2026
The head-slapping stupidity of the situation could only be viewed as black comedy.
From Underground by Dreyfus, Suelette
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
