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 Orifice was designed to be a more warmhearted, interactive answer to the joyless functionality of delivery bots. — Jennifer Byrne, Popular Science, 4 Nov. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for joyless

Adjective

The Panthers were immediately unhappy, asking for a defensive pass interference.

— Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 9 Nov. 2026
The family of Harry Gampel is unhappy with the name change to Gampel Pavilion.

— Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of unhappy

Adjective

Sheriff’s officials sad Damico, who had personal ties with Canata, claimed to be his power of attorney but was unable to provide any correlating paperwork or a will to verify such statements.

— Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 10 Nov. 2026
The musical comedy has earned Moore raves on the festival circuit for her role as a sad suburban homemaker turned anxious aspiring actress in a New Jersey community theater.

— Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 9 Nov. 2026

Definition of sad

Adjective

Defense attorney Kimberly Stevens painted Birchmore as a depressed young woman battling lifelong adversities who constructed a fantasy world around marrying Farwell.

— Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 6 Nov. 2026
In Splintered Harmony, Azriel is depressed as hell — is there not a doctor in Velaris to get this guy a Zoloft prescription?

— Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of depressed

Adjective

Mazel tov to Wallace, but for my money, the biggest moment on this miserable, rainy family holiday is the revelation that Nanny Marie has been with the Webbs since the beginning.

— Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2026
Once flights became frequent, the noise made people miserable.

— IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of miserable

Adjective

The heartbroken dad wasn’t home when the child fell out the window.

— Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 5 Nov. 2026
The death of Sir Patrick Stewart has left Hollywood heartbroken as his co-stars, colleagues, and fellow actors recall rare encounters, days on set, and priceless advice the acting legend shared with them.

— Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of heartbroken

Adjective

The clip’s melancholy vibes are only driven home by Karen O’s wistful vocals on the new song.

— Katie Atkinson, Billboard, 12 Nov. 2026
As indie pop became glossier and more fleshed out in the 1990s, few bands embraced its minimal, melancholy origins like the Cat’s Miaow.

— David Glickman, Pitchfork, 11 Nov. 2026

Definition of melancholy

Adjective

During that period, the number of women killed because of their gender rose by 44%, suggesting the problem is only getting worse.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 13 Nov. 2026
Read my colleague Nate Freeman’s soaring eulogy for the Cybertruck, Elon Musk’s grand experiment in bad taste.

— Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 13 Nov. 2026

Definition of bad

Adjective

But the case took a twist when the store received a package containing the watch -- and a handwritten note saying sorry, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper and other media reported on Monday, citing unnamed investigative sources.

— CBS News, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026
Feeling sorry for this perfectly happy couple, however, was not.

— Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of sorry

Browse Nearby Words

joying

joyless

joylessly

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“Joyless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/joyless. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of joyless

adjective

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