as in unhappy
feeling unhappiness
was utterly joyless after his bitter divorce
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Recent Examples of joyless
Word around baseball is all the losing has turned the Mets clubhouse, which has already been fractured these past couple years, into a joyless brig.
—
Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 2 May 2026
Of course, in Louisiana, with its cheap, abundant, and locally refined gasoline, many civilians drive these behemoths, too, so at school pickups, organizers asked parents to roll their windows down and blast music, something that joyless agents would never do.
—Daniel Brook, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
If Panahi’s interview had been a joyless commiseration-fest, that would have been more than acceptable.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
Leadership sets the tone, and right now that tone feels tense and joyless.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2026
The previous decade included the organizational mayhem of Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and the drudgery of Tokyo in 2020, a joyless experience that unfolded in empty venues of a city that had no interest in staging the event as Japan and the rest of the world tried to emerge from the scourge of COVID-19.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2026
Pills even out her emotions but her brain is joyless.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2026
By comparison—and in contrast to its buoyant first season—Stranger Things has devolved into a joyless, uninspired, unidirectional slog.
—Judy Berman, Time, 26 Dec. 2025
The joyless union is being pushed by Lord and Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston) so that the wealth stays in the family.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025
Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 2 May 2026
Of course, in Louisiana, with its cheap, abundant, and locally refined gasoline, many civilians drive these behemoths, too, so at school pickups, organizers asked parents to roll their windows down and blast music, something that joyless agents would never do.
—Daniel Brook, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
If Panahi’s interview had been a joyless commiseration-fest, that would have been more than acceptable.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
Leadership sets the tone, and right now that tone feels tense and joyless.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2026
The previous decade included the organizational mayhem of Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and the drudgery of Tokyo in 2020, a joyless experience that unfolded in empty venues of a city that had no interest in staging the event as Japan and the rest of the world tried to emerge from the scourge of COVID-19.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2026
Pills even out her emotions but her brain is joyless.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2026
By comparison—and in contrast to its buoyant first season—Stranger Things has devolved into a joyless, uninspired, unidirectional slog.
—Judy Berman, Time, 26 Dec. 2025
The joyless union is being pushed by Lord and Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston) so that the wealth stays in the family.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for joyless
Adjective
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Wait times, and particularly in the emergency department, wait times were skyrocketing, patient satisfaction, and everybody was just generally unhappy.—
Torie Bosch,
STAT,
9 May 2026
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Sources have told Deadline that Fox was originally unhappy with the creative on Season 14 of the show, but collaborated with the creative team and was ultimately sated.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
8 May 2026
Adjective
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The failure of so many in the political world to speak up displays a sad and growing moral bankruptcy.—
Bobby Zirkin,
Baltimore Sun,
14 May 2026
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Don’t be sad — this is not a farewell forever.—
Denni Hu,
Footwear News,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
Children, yes, but families, grown-ups, single people, divorced people, cheerful people, depressed people, dog people, cat people, Dodgers fans, Padres fans, whomever.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
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But there are some important factors that could lower their ceiling, namely depressed enthusiasm with some key groups, the fact that there are fewer competitive districts than ever before and the state of the redistricting battle.—
Domenico Montanaro,
NPR,
9 May 2026
Adjective
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Amid the Wave’s miserable season that followed both on and off the field, Shaw asked for a trade to the North Carolina Courage, which was granted ahead of the 2025 season.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 May 2026
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The Jets finished last in rushing attempts in a wholly miserable campaign.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
New York Times,
9 May 2026
Adjective
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So, understandably, they were left heartbroken after discovering the dog had escaped his yard on Chicago's Northwest Side.—
Escher Walcott,
PEOPLE,
13 May 2026
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The Beckhams, who sold their crash pad in One Museum Tower in downtown Miami, but maintain a spec house in Miami Beach, are said to be heartbroken about the estrangement.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2026
Adjective
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He can be wounded and sensitive (as in In the Mood for Love), mysterious and melancholy (as in Wong’s 2046), or slick and savage (as in Ang Lee’s Lust, Caution).—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
14 May 2026
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Certain Regard strand in 2016, or his melancholy, elegantly structured exploration of grief, Love Life, a Venice competitor from 2022.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
Adjective
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Fast forward to mid-May, and the Astros are, well, bad.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
11 May 2026
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Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has resulted in the loss of nearly a billion barrels of oil, with the shortage growing worse every day the sea lane remains closed.—
Azhar Sukri,
CNBC,
10 May 2026
Adjective
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As this page has chronicled, everything from airline turf wars and safety concerns to a sorry on-time performance went into that determination.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2026
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For those wishing to hand everyone an F for not winning the Stanley Cup, sorry.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Joyless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/joyless. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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