as in solemn
not joking or playful in mood or manner
humorless people who can't see the lighter side of life
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of humorless
For Max in particular, his parent’s lifelong humorless severity looks more and more like malevolent delusion under a cloak of puritanical righteousness.
—
Dennis Harvey, Variety, 11 July 2025
One client found a way to use humor with a stereotypically humorless customer base: accountants.
—Ellie Victor, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
And Zero at first comes off as a humorless Gen Z caricature.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 3 June 2025
The undercover cop on the subway platform was in his early thirties, McCullough guessed, and evidently humorless, or, more likely, fulfilling a quota.
—Ben McGrath, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for humorless
Dennis Harvey, Variety, 11 July 2025
One client found a way to use humor with a stereotypically humorless customer base: accountants.
—Ellie Victor, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
And Zero at first comes off as a humorless Gen Z caricature.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 3 June 2025
The undercover cop on the subway platform was in his early thirties, McCullough guessed, and evidently humorless, or, more likely, fulfilling a quota.
—Ben McGrath, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for humorless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humorless
Adjective
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On Monday, her husband, the Duke of Kent, and daughter Lady Helen Taylor appeared solemn as her coffin was taken by hearse from Kensington Palace to Westminster Cathedral for a private vigil.—
Jack Royston,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
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No happening is too solemn, in this world, for a heaping portion of unabashed self-promotion.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Serving warrants requires officers to arrest a person suspected of committing a serious crime or secure crucial evidence, both situations that up the chances that a dangerous suspect might be lying in wait.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
20 Sep. 2025
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This lightwear pair at Amazon is on sale for $12—a serious deal considering they’re polarized to ensure UV protection, feature a coating that helps protect against water on rainy days, and have a one-piece nosepad that fits snugly on your face without digging in like some of the metal varieties.—
Lane Nieset,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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From one side, draped in a dark-blue robe and flanked by an entourage in matching work shirts, Joe Frazier walked slowly through the crowd, stern and granite-jawed.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
16 Sep. 2025
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Not even the most stern calls to sit down could keep the crowds away, as production staff tried to pave a path for fellow front row faces like rapper Glorilla, Charles Melton, Celtics player Jayson Tatum — who was sidelined late last season with an injury — Elle Fanning, and more.—
Kristen Tauer,
Footwear News,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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To say that Servillo acts with a poker face would be to vastly understate the unsmiling minimalism of his performance.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
27 Aug. 2025
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The portrait's lack of background and Trump's unsmiling gaze further differentiates it from those of his predecessors.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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The company’s events tend to skew earnest for fashion, and this one was no exception, beginning with an address by Yanai—translated live from Japanese, via headsets—featuring various charts and graphs.—
Lauren Collins,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
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His interest in deescalation seemed earnest and pleading.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Humorless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humorless. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
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