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
Funny novels are invariably more serious than humorless ones.
—
Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Fueled by a humorless fear of precisely the human experiences and emotions that connect us, book banning ironically often metamorphosizes into acts of promotion, and just as often ends up exposing vile and corrosive hypocrisy in those lighting the matches.
—Literary Hub, 10 Dec. 2025
In Prime 4, Samus is humorless, simply nodding along while others try their best at second-rate comedy.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 2 Dec. 2025
Single-minded and fairly humorless, Chappellet is impelled but seldom impulsive.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for humorless
Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Fueled by a humorless fear of precisely the human experiences and emotions that connect us, book banning ironically often metamorphosizes into acts of promotion, and just as often ends up exposing vile and corrosive hypocrisy in those lighting the matches.
—Literary Hub, 10 Dec. 2025
In Prime 4, Samus is humorless, simply nodding along while others try their best at second-rate comedy.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 2 Dec. 2025
Single-minded and fairly humorless, Chappellet is impelled but seldom impulsive.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for humorless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humorless
Adjective
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Inspired by the most recent decade of killings of unarmed Black men by police, the seven prints selected from Henry’s series draw upon the sculptural pathos and solemn formalities of Michelangelo’s Pietà di San Pietro.—
Horace D. Ballard,
Artforum,
22 Apr. 2026
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While it’s meant to be a solemn moment, was that uncomfortable for you as a comedian?—
Stuart Miller,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Half a century later, the nation’s environmental problems are a lot less visible, but not, for that reason, any less serious.—
Elizabeth Kolbert,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
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Even in healthy children, measles can cause serious illness and death.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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An Ada County judge let a Boise woman who stole jewelry from hospice patients off without prison time — but not without a stern warning and alternative punishment.—
Sally Krutzig,
Idaho Statesman,
28 Apr. 2026
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When addressing Chasing Horse, Peterson took on a stern tone and admonished the actor and his attorney, Craig Mueller, for denying the charges and downplaying evidence of assault.—
Alexandra Del Rosario,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Then, trace your finger to its peak, which, to me, was his starring role as smoldering special forces operative Scott McCoy in the 1986 action movie The Delta Force, co-starring a frail-looking but grizzled and unsmiling Lee Marvin in his last movie.—
John DeVore,
Rolling Stone,
20 Mar. 2026
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After school one day, an unsmiling official from a mysterious worldwide organization, Eva Stratt (played by German actress Sandra Hüller, of Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest), accosts him and humorlessly recruits him for a special project.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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This latest saga between these long-time rivals began in earnest on Monday evening in the bottom of the sixth.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
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On Monday, environmental contractors will launch abatement measures in earnest inside the massive, 190,000-square-foot structure, just east of Dunkin’ Park.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Humorless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humorless. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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