gallows humor
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of gallows humor
First recorded in 1900–05
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.
Schrader, who turns 80 in July, spoke about the coming upheaval with a mixture of fascination, resignation and dry gallows humor.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
For local establishments, the newly offered specials are part gallows humor, part business gamble.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2025
“I meant it as a bit of gallows humor, but he answered by essentially saying, Actually, sort of,” Gluck, a journalist, writes in his forthcoming memoir, An Exercise in Uncertainty.
From Slate ● May 2, 2025
It’s a gallows humor with a dark edge.
From New York Times ● May 5, 2024
There was a good deal of gallows humor among us.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
