black humor
3
6.5
- noun
- /blæk ˈhjuːmər/
- US
:
humor negro
- The novel is characterized by black humor that becomes progressively bleaker as it progresses.
Although we're dressed like this or in suits, we still had the black humour and then come in and then I started writing.
- Although we're dressed like this or in suits, we still had the black humour and then come in and then I started writing.
Examples
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Others have resorted to "black humor" in an effort to cope with these conflicting interests.
Academic text (1990) -
Not a single one objected to the panelist's black humor.
Blog text (19) -
We have our version of black humor.
Blog text (10) -
Artists bring a sense of black humor to surreality shows.
Blog text (32) -
"Hearing herself say that made her laugh, a horrified laugh at her own black humor.
Fiction book (1991) -
In a bit of black humor, I'm afraid. "Because of Josh and me?" asked Hadley.
Fiction book (1993) -
The film's content is highly episodic, and its tone, which is seldom without an edge of black humor, is the kind with which the medical world protects itself.
Academic text (2001) -
We can only wonder at the black humor of an old man decorating his dining room with the ghoulish "Saturn Devouring One of His Sons."
Academic text (1991) -
In the comedy show, the characters frequently used black humor to lighten serious situations.
-
Many comedians rely on black humor to address tough topics in a way that makes people laugh.
Synonyms
3
6.3
A play or film that makes serious subjects, especially taboo ones, seem funny
3
5.3
Funny stories that use shocking or sad topics to make people laugh
3
8.4
Jokes about very serious or sad events that help people cope
How Dark
Surface Forms
Morphology
There is a clear link between 'black' (used metaphorically to mean dark, grim, or morbid) and 'humor', so learners who recognize the non-literal sense can infer 'dark/morbid humor'. Because this requires mapping a metaphorical sense of 'black' rather than a fully compositional literal reading, and some cultural knowledge, the expression is only partially predictable despite cross-linguistic parallels (e.g., French humour noir, Spanish humor negro).
Etymology
Black humor may come from the French phrase 'humour noir' and gives a simple picture: black means dark or sad and humor means something funny. So it describes jokes that come from a dark place and are used to talk about 'serious' or 'very sad' things.