dad joke
Eye-roll inducing humor
A dad joke is a corny, groan-inducing pun or one-liner of the sort stereotypically told by fathers—wholesome, obvious, and more likely to elicit eye-rolls than laughter.
The humor lies partly in the joke's badness and the teller's satisfaction despite the weak response: Why don't eggs tell jokes? They'd crack each other up.
Dad jokes traffic in wordplay that prioritizes availability over cleverness.
Gesture of exasperation
- facepalmGesture showing exasperation
- cringeShrink from discomfort
- sighAudible emotional breath
- exasperationIntense weary annoyance
embarrassment · tolerance · indulgence · patience · long-suffering · deadpan · stoic · monotone
Cheap and insincere
- clichéOverused, unoriginal expression
- hackneyedOverused and unoriginal
- predictableAble to be foreseen
- unoriginalNot new or novel
hokey · campy · kitschy · groan-worthy · eye-rolling · cringe-worthy · stale · tired
Expressionless, especially for humor
- straight-facedWithout visible emotion
- pauseTemporary cessation of activity
- timingArt of choosing moments
- setupHow something is arranged
punchline · self-satisfied · grin · wink
Verbal wit techniques
- homophoneIdentically pronounced, differently spelled word
- play-on-wordsJoke exploiting double meanings
- spoonerismAccidental sound transposition
- malapropismSound-alike word confusion
portmanteau · mondegreen · equivocation · ambiguity · literal · figurative · misinterpretation · twist
Suitable for all ages
- innocentFree from moral wrong
- cleanFree of soil
- good-naturedHaving a friendly temperament
- harmlessCausing no injury
inoffensive · G-rated · appropriate · safe · gentle · sweet · charming · endearing
eye-roll
Gesture of exasperation
exasperation · embarrassment · tolerance · indulgence · patience · long-suffering · deadpan · stoic · monotone · smirk
cheesy
Cheap and insincere
- clichéOverused, unoriginal expression
- hackneyedOverused and unoriginal
- predictableAble to be foreseen
unoriginal · hokey · campy · kitschy · groan-worthy · eye-rolling · cringe-worthy · stale · tired · worn-out
deadpan
Expressionless, especially for humor
- straight-facedWithout visible emotion
- pauseTemporary cessation of activity
- timingArt of choosing moments
setup · punchline · self-satisfied · grin · wink
wordplay
Verbal wit techniques
- homophoneIdentically pronounced, differently spelled word
- play-on-wordsJoke exploiting double meanings
- spoonerismAccidental sound transposition
malapropism · portmanteau · mondegreen · equivocation · ambiguity · literal · figurative · misinterpretation · twist · subversion
family-friendly
Suitable for all ages
- innocentFree from moral wrong
- cleanFree of soil
- good-naturedHaving a friendly temperament
harmless · inoffensive · G-rated · appropriate · safe · gentle · sweet · charming · endearing · lovable
- cheesy thingscorniness, tackiness, kitsch, schlock, hokiness
- humorcomedy, comic, funny, hilarious, amusing
- comedy writingcomedy, satire, parody, sarcasm, irony
- jokespuns, one-liners, pun, one-liner, quips
- wordplaypun, puns, punning, punny, punster
- funny storiesanecdote, tall tale, fish story, yarn, shaggy dog story
dad jokewitty repartee
Quick, clever conversational exchange
clever wordplay · intellectual humor · dry wit · observational comedy · bon mot
dad jokecrowd-pleaser
Broadly appealing entertainment
sidesplitter · comedic genius · showstopper · zinger · knee-slapper
dad jokedirty joke
Crude comedic remark
off-color humor · blue humor · off-color joke · locker room humor · dark humor