dark comedy
Americannoun
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a play, movie, etc., having elements of comedy and tragedy, often involving gloomy or morbid satire.
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a comedy based on problems of a personal or social nature.
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 dark comedy about a New England island beset by supernatural terrors is both exceedingly clever and genuinely terrifying.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2026
Tatiana Maslany and Jake Johnson spoke about their new dark comedy thriller series on Apple TV and what they would do in a scenario where they are being scammed.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
Like Doherty, Aimee Lou Wood is up for both best actress and best supporting actress - for BBC Three comedy-drama Film Club and HBO/Sky dark comedy The White Lotus respectively.
From BBC • May 9, 2026
A dark comedy is only as successful as its bleakest jokes.
From Salon • Apr. 9, 2026
Her diary entry the next day makes her teamwork with Dina—whom Zhenya adored—sound like a kind of dark comedy duo.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
