JOYLESS Synonyms: 168 Similar and Opposite Words

joyless

adjective

Definition of joyless

as in unhappy

feeling unhappiness was utterly joyless after his bitter divorce

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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 joyless Involuntary bumping is more ruthless, denying boarding to passengers in a joyless game of musical plane seats. — Andrea Sachs, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2026 Don’t let that description suggest a stuffy, joyless evening in the theater – as if anything associated with the endlessly appealing Louis-Dreyfus could ever be joyless. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 18 Oct. 2026 But last year’s 5-7 team too often resembled the joyless Nebraska offenses Frost was supposedly leaving behind. — The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026 His trailblazing act had been reduced to a joyless recitation of his legal entanglements. — Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026 To give up drinking can feel like trading in your exciting, chaotic, heroic existence for a drab and joyless one. — Literary Hub, 13 July 2026 Call it hypocrisy or honesty, either way, Season 3 is a joyless exercise that’s nonetheless an improvement on the wayward Season 2. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 15 June 2026 With its joyless austerity, the dish bears almost no resemblance to actual chicken paprikás, which is boisterous and dense and, crucially, should involve a considerable portion of hearty starches to sop it all up. — Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 14 June 2026 How to find light in a joyless season. — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for joyless

Adjective

Many of the women in the packed courtroom gallery appeared unhappy when the sentences were rendered.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2026
Andy’s view Almost 14 years into Xi Jinping’s norm-busting reign, just about everybody is unhappy with his economy.

— Andy Browne, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of unhappy

Adjective

State Drive, an ugly black roadway, separates the Science Center and its new addition from the park’s Rose Garden, and serves as a sad connector to the rest of the park.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
As more details came out, the sad truth of Perry’s relapses and drug hustle emerged.

— Dominic Patten, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of sad

Adjective

Celebrated as masterpieces today, at the time they were regarded as the unpolished works of a depressed, crazy man and commercially worthless.

— Joan Martelli, Time, 17 Oct. 2026
In the event of a severe winter or import bottlenecks, depressed storage levels not only narrow Europe's capacity to absorb supply shocks but also risk driving natural gas prices higher.

— , CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of depressed

Adjective

Happy peasants, miserable millionaires Graham first spotted the pattern in China.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
That and the two uniquely miserable Atlanta seasons under Morris’ guidance would normally be enough to gin up some bad feelings among the masses.

— Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of miserable

Adjective

The woman never brought Melissa back, leaving a heartbroken Apantenco wondering what had become of her baby.

— Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026
Mike Sweeney’s tutor Royals Hall of Famer Mike Sweeney was heartbroken to learn of Benzinger’s passing.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of heartbroken

Adjective

Madeleine is beautiful and melancholy, spending hours driving around San Francisco and contemplating a painting that seems to haunt her.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026
Gentling the Horse’s absurdist humor and breakneck tempos signify a sharp break from 2023’s melancholy The Art of Forgetting.

— Zach Schonfeld, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of melancholy

Adjective

The album’s experimental bent is also what keeps the music from slipping into parody or, even worse, po-faced sincerity.

— Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 30 Oct. 2026
Judges failing to award fees and government agencies unreasonably resisting paying them make the problem even worse.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of bad

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joying

joyless

joylessly

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“Joyless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/joyless. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of joyless

adjective

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