Synonyms of unsmiling

unsmiling

adjective

ˌən-ˈsmī-liŋ 

as in solemn

not joking or playful in mood or manner

delivered the reprimand with a harsh and unsmiling face

Synonyms & Similar Words

• solemn
• stern
• serious
• humorless
• earnest
• professional
• sedate
• staid
• po-faced
• sober
• harsh
• severe
• distinguished
• no-nonsense
• grave
• strict
• uncomic
• weighty
• businesslike
• sobersided
• grim
• dignified
• gloomy
• serious-minded
• elevated

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• humorous
• playful
• flippant
• jocular
• joking
• facetious
• kittenish
• funny
• flip
• comical
• light
• droll
• comic
• ridiculous
• hysterical
• ludic
• hilarious
• riotous
• antic
• ludicrous
• farcical
• laughable
• uproarious
• risible
• goofy
• jesting
• screaming
• frivolous
• lighthearted
• puerile
• scatterbrained
• flighty
• foolish
• silly
• absurd
• mad
• daffy
• cockeyed
• insane
• harebrained
• fatuous
• zany
• witless
• unwise
• kooky
• nutty
• crazy
• preposterous
• sidesplitting
• jerky
• light-headed
• wacky
• balmy
• loony
• nonsensical
• brainless
• sappy
• senseless
• cuckoo
• daft
• asinine
• featherbrained
• dotty
• weak-minded
• half-witted
• screwball

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of unsmiling

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

So much for my unsmiling open mouth in my 2026 passport photo. — Paul Keane, Hartford Courant, 8 Mar. 2026

In one, a worker bee barks like a Georgia bulldog at his unsmiling boss. — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 2 Feb. 2026

Often taunted by tabloids for her unsmiling demeanor, Victoria shows off her sense of humor and gets real about some of the most difficult parts of her past, including her struggles with an eating disorder and almost losing her fashion business entirely. — Ellise Shafer, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025