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
-
Banners hang from the eaves of many houses, a solemn reminder to mark where residents were either killed or kidnapped.—
NBC News,
NBC news,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Yom Kippur is the most solemn Jewish holiday, marking the end of the 10 Days of Repentance that begin with Rosh Hashanah.—
Jose R. Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Blaylock was charged with felony injury to a child with serious bodily injury, court records show.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
19 Oct. 2025
-
By the eighth inning, the Mariners were facing the serious possibility of having to win both games in Toronto to take the series.—
Jamie Barton,
CNN Money,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
At Roland Park, Tupac’s English teacher was a stern woman named Thomasina Porter.—
Jeff Pearlman,
Rolling Stone,
17 Oct. 2025
-
The short war in Cuba gained the United States the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico; turned the nation into a Pacific power; and created beliefs that America was a stern yet benevolent country tasked by Destiny to enforce peace and bring prosperity to the world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
The single mother of three was at her job that morning when she was asked to report immediately to the front of the building, where Wainscott was met by police officers — who showed her a photo of an unsmiling man in his early 30s, with short brown hair and a light goatee.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
His discreet thumbs-up and Natalie’s happy reaction make for the most earnest moment of the episode.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
20 Oct. 2025
-
There are no silly songs, just earnest covers strategically placed throughout the set to move along its storytelling.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Humorless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humorless. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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