black comedy

noun

1. comedy that employs morbid, gloomy, grotesque, or calamitous situations in its plot.

Word History and Origins

Origin of black comedy¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

In the past, when asked about the 1996 black comedy “Fargo,” he would say you can never know when something will resonate with an audience.

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“It is true that this film is more comedic in nature, but my other films have also had elements of black comedy and dark humor,” says Park.

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At times, “Death by Lightning” plays like a black comedy.

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“Their lives were always reaching for the light,” says the playwright John Guare, whose black comedy “The House of Blue Leaves” Anne performed in off-Broadway.

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One Battle After Another is part political satire, part black comedy and part action blockbuster, and DiCaprio says overall the film "finds the humanity in all the central characters".

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