as in solemn
not joking or playful in mood or manner
humorless people who can't see the lighter side of life
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of humorless
One client found a way to use humor with a stereotypically humorless customer base: accountants.
—
Ellie Victor, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
The undercover cop on the subway platform was in his early thirties, McCullough guessed, and evidently humorless, or, more likely, fulfilling a quota.
—Ben McGrath, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
Right now, the powers that be in America, humorless and self-aggrandizing, are hell-bent on running down whatever lies in their path.
—Glenn Adamson, Artforum, 1 June 2025
There is plenty of commentary, even among users of other platforms, about how Threads is bloodless (and owned by Mark Zuckerberg), Mastodon is inscrutable, and Bluesky is humorless.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for humorless
Ellie Victor, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
The undercover cop on the subway platform was in his early thirties, McCullough guessed, and evidently humorless, or, more likely, fulfilling a quota.
—Ben McGrath, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
Right now, the powers that be in America, humorless and self-aggrandizing, are hell-bent on running down whatever lies in their path.
—Glenn Adamson, Artforum, 1 June 2025
There is plenty of commentary, even among users of other platforms, about how Threads is bloodless (and owned by Mark Zuckerberg), Mastodon is inscrutable, and Bluesky is humorless.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for humorless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humorless
Adjective
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Models walking the runway — staged at the Pinacoteca di Brera museum — had solemn expressions on their faces.—
Kati Chitrakorn,
CNN Money,
29 Sep. 2025
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If anything, their Didi and Gogo (Winter plays the former, the more cerebral and anxious of the two, and Reeves the latter, the disgruntled yet tender beta clown) are still a little on the solemn side.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Roundabouts help eliminate the types of crashes more likely to cause serious injuries or death.—
Eric D. Lawrence,
USA Today,
28 Sep. 2025
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The production came just in time to help the Angels (72-88) put a serious dent in the Astros’ chances of going to the playoffs.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
27 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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That led Judge Cannon to temporarily halt the proceedings and issue Routh a stern warning.—
Greg Allen,
NPR,
23 Sep. 2025
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High-profile stars and politicians of all creeds have been up in arms and ABC owner Disney has come in for particularly stern criticism over the very live situation.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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To say that Servillo acts with a poker face would be to vastly understate the unsmiling minimalism of his performance.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
27 Aug. 2025
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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
Adjective
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Nestled between Red Dirt heroes Turnpike Troubadours (who were, as usual, great) and festival headliners Kings of Leon, the lyrically earnest Barber performed well, worthy of the slow-building hype surrounding him.—
Daniel Kohn,
Rolling Stone,
29 Sep. 2025
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The track, breathy and earnest, is a particular favorite of mine, a tune that’s at once yearning and reassuring, perfect for a show about the comfort of old-fashioned romance.—
Rumaan Alam,
New Yorker,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Humorless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humorless. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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