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black comedy

American

noun

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

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.

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

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

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