gallows humor

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.

Many China hawks in the administration have taken to gallows humor, calling the shift the ‘Busan Freeze,’ named for the South Korea meeting between the leaders that produced a fragile trade detente.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

“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

Streetwise and informed by Price’s trademark dialogue and gallows humor, it’s a tale of individual redemption and an exploration of the precarity of American life.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 3, 2024

Testifying Thursday, Davidson, who also represented adult film star Stormy Daniels, explained that the texts were a form of "gallows humor," NBC News reported.

From Salon • May 2, 2024

I noted as another example of gallows humor that Billie had put out black guest towels and a washcloth for me.

From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin