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.
Yorgos Lanthimos’ sci-fi black comedy tickles the audience to wonder if Emma Stone’s pharmaceutical CEO could really be an alien.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 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
Other nominated films include conspiracy theory drama Bugonia, Korean black comedy No Other Choice, Brazilian political thriller The Secret Agent and animated musical smash Kpop Demon Hunters.
From BBC • Jan. 10, 2026
Instead, it has all the hallmarks of both a black comedy comprising carefully crafted scenes and a deft character study made up of painstakingly applied warts-and-all detail.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 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.
