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

Synonyms

• solemn
• stern
• serious

Examples of unsmiling in a Sentence

delivered the reprimand with a harsh and unsmiling face

Recent Examples on the Web

The crowd roars and the vast, unsmiling curtain-call cast line the stage with the leading man bare-chested and covered in blood. —David Benedict, Variety, 1 July 2025

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

And often next to Ed, holding a single malt, there would be an unsmiling writer of great pretension looking down at you from a great height. —Gary Shteyngart, The Atlantic, 4 June 2025

The card's main feature is Trump's face — staring downwards at the camera, unsmiling — and is flanked by the Statue of Liberty, a circle of stars and Trump's signature. —Rachel Raposas, People.com, 4 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unsmiling

• beguiling
• compiling
• profiling
• refiling
• reviling
• stockpiling
• filing
• piling
• smiling
• styling
• tiling
• reconciling