humorless

adjective

hu·​mor·​less ˈhyü-mər-ləs How to pronounce humorless (audio)
1
: lacking a sense of humor
2
: lacking humorous characteristics
humorlessly adverb
humorlessness noun

Example Sentences

humorless people who can't see the lighter side of life
Recent Examples on the Web A lot of money has been poured into selling VR as the future of work, with humorless videos of Mark Zuckerberg advancing a bleak vision of face-sized cubicles. Mikhail Klimentov, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2022 In Russia, Vladimir V. Putin has won the presidency three times against the same hapless candidate, Gennady Zyuganov, a humorless man with a droning, wooden voice conveniently put forward by the Communist Party. Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 24 Oct. 2020 Yet writers are eager to join in the jokes about the humorless prude who wants to stifle academic freedom, rather than trying to understand the whole story. Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 7 Dec. 2010 Here, though, the stakes are lowered beneath the absurdity line by the relentless mayhem, which is at once cartoonish and mostly humorless. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2023 This is not a humorless book. Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2022 Brian has personal problems as well; his former wife (Carolina Bartczak) is now remarried to a smarmy businessman (Michael Pena, wasted in a humorless role), and his teenage son Sonny (Charlie Plummer) gets arrested on drug charges after a high-speed chase with cops. Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Feb. 2022 Righting wrongs — and there are always more than enough to choose from — is virtuous, if sometimes humorless. Washington Post, 13 Jan. 2022 Anarumo offered a humorless chuckle when asked about the topic on Monday. Michael Niziolek, cleveland, 25 Jan. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'humorless.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1671, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of humorless was in 1671

Dictionary Entries Near humorless

Cite this Entry

“Humorless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/humorless. Accessed 28 May. 2023.

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