as in earnestness
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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
Diya Chacko, Oc Register, 21 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humorlessness
Noun
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Western, for his part, had by this time recovered something of his usual bluster, and began again upon the subject of Blifil, commending his estate and his family with great earnestness, as though these considerations alone ought to have settled the matter long since.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
2 June 2026
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Even if the earnestness is genuine, Véliz worries that the use of religious terminology and imagery around AI—deliberately or not—can make honest conversation harder to have.—
Chris Stokel-Walker,
Scientific American,
26 May 2026
Noun
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As Agathe comes to understand the extent of her troubles, Exarchopoulos’ performance achieves a sorrowful gravitas.—
Jon Frosch,
The Hollywood Reporter,
23 Jan. 2023
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But this reboot had gravitas, for Larroquette at least.—
Alexis Soloski,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2023
Noun
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And up until 2022, all of those reports — hundreds each year, sent by mail, fax, and email — were read, assessed for seriousness, and manually entered into a database by OHRP staff.—
Megan Molteni,
STAT,
5 June 2026
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Although no successful secession movement has arisen since 1865, contemporary secession movements exist, with varying degrees of seriousness, and in the 21st century polls have shown that interest in secession has been rising.—
Scott Spires Britannica Editors June 3,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
3 June 2026
Noun
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Understanding the gravity of a red flag warning and adhering to these precautions is pivotal in reducing the risk of wildfires during these hazardous conditions.—
Bay Area Weather Report,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026
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Understanding the gravity of a red flag warning and adhering to these precautions is pivotal in mitigating the risk of wildfires during these perilous conditions.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
9 June 2026
Noun
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Behind her back, her bosses began negotiating a secret plea deal in earnest with Epstein’s lawyers in July 2007.—
Julie K. Brown,
Miami Herald,
4 June 2026
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The Japanese investor, who was used to fielding similar inquiries from company leaders, was intrigued by an approach made directly by a head of state and started reviewing the matter in earnest.—
Benoit Berthelot,
Fortune,
30 May 2026
Noun
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Because of the way the director works, emotions tend to be more discussed than felt, although there’s something about Carla’s desperation that pierces through all the soberness.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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As his own self-celebration has fizzled, a void has opened between the scheduled roster of events and the true purpose and meaning of the solemnity of July 4, 2026.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
31 May 2026
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All the secrecy and almost solemnity added to the anticipation of a launch that was five years in the making.—
Charlotte Reed,
CNBC,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Humorlessness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humorlessness. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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