gallows humor

noun

humor that treats serious, frightening, or painful subject matter in a light or satirical way.

Origin of gallows humor

First recorded in 1900–05

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Lee’s combination of righteous inquisitiveness, gallows humor, authentic love for the city and eye for novel ways into events that have been dissected to death make him the perfect interlocutor for this particular story.
The 5 Best New TV Shows Our Critic Watched in August 2021 | Judy Berman | August 31, 2021 | Time
I love the gallows humor between rescuers and the stories patients tell us on the back of the ambulance, a confession box on wheels, that they don’t tell anyone else.
The Heartbreak and Horror of Being an EMT During the Pandemic—and Why I'm Still Working | Jennifer Murphy | March 30, 2021 | Time
Instead, their feelings are expressed in small moments, through a tender touch, a burst of anger, or a shared laugh over a bit of gallows humor.
Firth, Tucci face tragedy with restraint in ‘Supernova’ | John Paul King | January 26, 2021 | Washington Blade
Finding new ways to frame this problem, with the height of internet gallows humor, became a staple of online coronavirus discourse this year.
The Most Impactful Memes of 2020 | Peter Allen Clark | January 21, 2021 | Time
gallows humor has always served him and other activists well; it had to in such dark times.
Gay Activist David Mixner: I Mercy Killed 8 People | Tim Teeman | October 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

There was a lot more gallows humor and a lot less talking about your feelings.
Grant Heslov Is the Robin to George Clooney’s Batman | Andrew Romano | February 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Over the next week, he entertained his three children and six grandchildren with his famous gallows humor.
Peter Worthington, 1927-2013 | David Frum | May 13, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Needless to say, the gallows humor that is a hallmark of my former profession has lost much of its luster.
The Many Scandals Of The Prisoner X Affair | Michael Ross | February 21, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Some would-be SEALs turn to gallows humor to endure the pain, telling themselves “the only easy day was yesterday.”
Osama bin Laden Death: Navy SEALs' Hardcore Workout | Tony Doukopil | May 5, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
And his bitter gallows humor had furnished a wry relief to grim reality.
Pandemic | Jesse Franklin Bone
Valentine, in fact, was seized by that desperate merriment which is known as gallows humor.
Pretty Michal | Mr Jkai

Browse