as in unhappy
feeling unhappiness
was utterly joyless after his bitter divorce
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Recent Examples of joyless
Call it hypocrisy or honesty, either way, Season 3 is a joyless exercise that’s nonetheless an improvement on the wayward Season 2.
—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
15 June 2026
With its joyless austerity, the dish bears almost no resemblance to actual chicken paprikás, which is boisterous and dense and, crucially, should involve a considerable portion of hearty starches to sop it all up.
—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
14 June 2026
How to find light in a joyless season.
—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
11 June 2026
It was filled with joyless body language, caused by Gauff losing touch with the relaxation routines, like going to her towel and breathing or eating some fruit.
—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
26 May 2026
Like the then French President’s 2002 joyless re-election over the far-right candidate Marie Le Pen, Bass could win handily over Pratt by default.
—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
20 May 2026
Word around baseball is all the losing has turned the Mets clubhouse, which has already been fractured these past couple years, into a joyless brig.
—
Bill Madden,
New York Daily News,
2 May 2026
Of course, in Louisiana, with its cheap, abundant, and locally refined gasoline, many civilians drive these behemoths, too, so at school pickups, organizers asked parents to roll their windows down and blast music, something that joyless agents would never do.
—
Daniel Brook,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
If Panahi’s interview had been a joyless commiseration-fest, that would have been more than acceptable.
—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
15 June 2026
With its joyless austerity, the dish bears almost no resemblance to actual chicken paprikás, which is boisterous and dense and, crucially, should involve a considerable portion of hearty starches to sop it all up.
—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
14 June 2026
How to find light in a joyless season.
—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
11 June 2026
It was filled with joyless body language, caused by Gauff losing touch with the relaxation routines, like going to her towel and breathing or eating some fruit.
—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
26 May 2026
Like the then French President’s 2002 joyless re-election over the far-right candidate Marie Le Pen, Bass could win handily over Pratt by default.
—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
20 May 2026
Word around baseball is all the losing has turned the Mets clubhouse, which has already been fractured these past couple years, into a joyless brig.
—
Bill Madden,
New York Daily News,
2 May 2026
Of course, in Louisiana, with its cheap, abundant, and locally refined gasoline, many civilians drive these behemoths, too, so at school pickups, organizers asked parents to roll their windows down and blast music, something that joyless agents would never do.
—
Daniel Brook,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
If Panahi’s interview had been a joyless commiseration-fest, that would have been more than acceptable.
—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for joyless
Adjective
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Isdin Melatonik If traditional retinoids have left your sensitive skin unhappy, Isdin's Melatonik Recovery Night Serum offers a gentler approach with bakuchiol.
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Brown and the Celtics have both since denied speculation that the 29-year-old second-team All-NBA selection was unhappy with his role in Boston.
Adjective
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Este is sad — Este is depressed-y.
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How sad or scary is ‘Toy Story 5’?
Adjective
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New-home construction tumbled, then stayed depressed for over a decade.
-
These figures mark a clear increase from depressed crossing rates seen during much of the Iran war since its start in late February.
Adjective
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Bryson, in particular, has looked miserable all season.
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Despite concerns that the conflict in the Middle East would further squeeze a flagging labor market, hiring has picked up in recent months following a miserable 2025 that saw fewer than 200,000 job gains.
Adjective
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The courtroom was packed with heartbroken supporters wanting justice for Jor'Dynn as each woman stood silent in front of the judge.
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There is nothing more evocative of a pure Love Island experience than a heartbroken rage split in costume.
Adjective
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The play can create some real melancholy.
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Americans are in a melancholy mood as the nation prepares to mark its 250th anniversary.
Adjective
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Are those still your worst fears?
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While a higher tracker error is not bad in and of itself, most investors become uncomfortable when their portfolio acts so differently from the index.
Adjective
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For this particular one, there was the cat stuff, but also there was the Monica dating stuff, which is very much based on my horrific experiences, sorry to say.
-
These things are around for so much longer than any of us — sorry to bring death into it.
Cite this Entry
“Joyless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/joyless. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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