unsmiling
adjective
un·smil·ing
ˌən-ˈsmī-liŋ 
: not smiling or tending to smile : marked by a somber or serious expression or attitude
a stern, unsmiling teacher
unsmilingly
adverb
His views were unsmilingly stated, implacably held, and amenable to no reasonable argument.
—
Simon Winchester
Simon Winchester
Synonyms
Examples of unsmiling in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But courage has many faces, and a revolution takes all sorts — and one made up only of unsmiling soldiers is likely to lead only to war.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2023
As the crowd erupts, an unsmiling Johnson greets his former foe.
—Nikki Dobrin, Peoplemag, 16 Sep. 2023
Equally perfunctory is a framing device set in January 1974, as unsmiling members of the Agranat Commission grill Meir about the intelligence failures that precipitated the surprise Yom Kippur attack months earlier.
—Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2023
No sooner did an unsmiling Althea drive a ball into the net in the first game of her first match than many among the thousands packed into the stands erupt into cheers, just as Clifford Webb had predicted.
—Sally H. Jacobs, Town & Country, 15 Aug. 2023
The crowd laps it up, but at least one unsmiling audience member, Ben (Justin H. Min), bites his tongue — for now, anyway.
—Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2023
Richardson ripped off the orange wig to reveal braids as her name was called before Friday’s final, drawing startled cheers and laughs inside the stadium, but never cracked her unsmiling expression, then loaded into the blocks.
—Andrew Greif, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2023
The tweet concluded with a link to his book, Gender Madness: One Man’s Devastating Struggle With Woke Ideology and His Battle to Protect Children, showing an unsmiling and turtlenecked London on the cover, for sale in August 2023.
—Nikki McCann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 15 June 2023
Consider those unsmiling dignitaries in seventeenth-century Dutch paintings, solemnly grouped around oak tables, dressed in sober black clothes and white ruffs, administering charity to the deserving poor.
—Ian Buruma, Harper's Magazine, 2 June 2023
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Sara Holdren, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2023
As the crowd erupts, an unsmiling Johnson greets his former foe.
—Nikki Dobrin, Peoplemag, 16 Sep. 2023
Equally perfunctory is a framing device set in January 1974, as unsmiling members of the Agranat Commission grill Meir about the intelligence failures that precipitated the surprise Yom Kippur attack months earlier.
—Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2023
No sooner did an unsmiling Althea drive a ball into the net in the first game of her first match than many among the thousands packed into the stands erupt into cheers, just as Clifford Webb had predicted.
—Sally H. Jacobs, Town & Country, 15 Aug. 2023
The crowd laps it up, but at least one unsmiling audience member, Ben (Justin H. Min), bites his tongue — for now, anyway.
—Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2023
Richardson ripped off the orange wig to reveal braids as her name was called before Friday’s final, drawing startled cheers and laughs inside the stadium, but never cracked her unsmiling expression, then loaded into the blocks.
—Andrew Greif, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2023
The tweet concluded with a link to his book, Gender Madness: One Man’s Devastating Struggle With Woke Ideology and His Battle to Protect Children, showing an unsmiling and turtlenecked London on the cover, for sale in August 2023.
—Nikki McCann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 15 June 2023
Consider those unsmiling dignitaries in seventeenth-century Dutch paintings, solemnly grouped around oak tables, dressed in sober black clothes and white ruffs, administering charity to the deserving poor.
—Ian Buruma, Harper's Magazine, 2 June 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unsmiling.' 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
1826, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near unsmiling
Cite this Entry
“Unsmiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unsmiling. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.
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