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.
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
The blend of gallows humor and gruesome fright is enlivening, casting a strange yet fiendishly compelling spell.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2024
“We are facing an impossible situation, and that’s exactly what gallows humor was designed to handle,” he said.
From New York Times ● Feb. 9, 2024
I remember chinning myself on the top of a fence to see one such comedy show filled with gallows humor.
From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
