HUMORLESSNESS Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

humorlessness

noun

as in earnestness

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of humorlessness One of my major disappointments in a lot of the writing was its humorlessness. — Diya Chacko, Oc Register, 21 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for humorlessness

Noun

Karen is newly sober, newly released, and seemingly determined to approach this chapter of her life with an earnestness that the rest of the cast may not be emotionally equipped to accommodate.

— Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
Elizabeth Strout illustrates a kind man with an endearing earnestness about him who struggles with the fact that the world is not so simple anymore.

— Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of earnestness

Noun

As Agathe comes to understand the extent of her troubles, Exarchopoulos’ performance achieves a sorrowful gravitas.

— Jon Frosch, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2023
Henriksen plays his part to the hilt here, bringing a gravitas that few actors would consider bringing to the role of a shoot-'em-up movie villain.

— Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 11 Jan. 2023

Definition of gravitas

Noun

Targeting equipment essential to the preservation of fresh products and to the food supply of the French people is of extreme gravity and is unprecedented.

— Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
The smaller probe will then head toward the asteroid's surface, a descent that should take two to three hours depending on 269 Justitia's precise gravity, which remains unknown.

— Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of gravity

Noun

By May 2026, all 11 of xAI’s original cofounders had departed the company, a cascade that began in earnest in February when Tony Wu, described as one of the most operationally central cofounders, announced his resignation.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 24 June 2026
Modern viticulture began in earnest here in the 1970s before blossoming in the ’90s.

— Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 June 2026

Definition of earnest

Noun

Adding to the solemnity of the occasion was a string quartet that played two slow movements from Alban Berg’s Lyric Suite.

— Peter E. Gordon, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026
What’s also obvious from Mel’s photography is the solemnity of these places and the humanity of those living and working within them.

— Stephanie Hanes, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of solemnity

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humorless

humorlessness

humorous

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“Humorlessness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humorlessness. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of humorlessness

noun

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