MIRTHLESS Synonyms: 115 Similar and Opposite Words

mirthless

adjective

Definition of mirthless

as in woebegone

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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 mirthless Yet there was a mirthless response from those around him; a realisation there was an element of truth to his chant. — Roshane Thomas, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024 One thing the record makes clear is that Anderson is not afraid to mix humor into her work, proving that avant-garde performance mustn’t be mirthless or without joy. — David Harris, SPIN, 11 May 2026 Splashes of elegance in gravestone carving appear as the mirthless old Puritans die, people get richer, and London goes royal. — Brian T. Allen, National Review, 19 July 2025 Historically, autocrats are a mirthless bunch. — David Remnick, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2025 His mirthless laugh might have suggested Kafkaesque persecution, or Hardyesque inexorability of fate. — Tad Friend, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mirthless

Adjective

Brewer was hired two years ago after more than a decade as head coach at perennial power Georgia, part of a commitment by the school and a motivated (and wealthy) alumni group willing to pump resources into a woebegone golf program.

— Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 May 2026
After three seasons of almost nothing but dread and sorrow, the NBA’s most woebegone franchise, for generations, finally had a moment to celebrate.

— David Aldridge, New York Times, 11 May 2026

Definition of woebegone

Adjective

The storm let up before daybreak, but the morning was gray and cheerless with a cold wind.

— Elwyn "Bud" Myers, Outdoor Life, 11 Mar. 2026
Gomez gestured across the street toward 100 Centre Street—the criminal courthouse, a cheerless Art Deco building the color of cinder blocks.

— Sarah Lustbader, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025

Definition of cheerless

Adjective

Day broke, bathing everything in light, and so great was the vitality of the early-morning sun that even the unhappy city seemed to smile a wan, sad smile.

— Vasily Grossman, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
But SpringHill really took off in 2020, two seasons into James’ Lakers term, when The SpringHill Company went public (and the Lakers won the sad COVID-bubble NBA Championship).

— Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 30 June 2026

Definition of sad

Adjective

That melancholy was discovered by the Romantics, and, in its coarser variation, was equivalent to despair.

— Merve Emre, New Yorker, 28 June 2026
The goofy sketch comedies and homemade spoofs that once filled his channel gradually disappeared, replaced by melancholy short films and bleak monologues.

— Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2026

Definition of melancholy

Adjective

Life without either, the pair determine, has left Leonora morose, maladjusted and desperate to claw her way back to the road not taken.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
In a morose Season 2, the group, now shrunken to a fivesome, with Ginny and her baby sometimes in tow, grapples with life after Nick and what their respective next chapters might bring.

— Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 28 May 2026

Definition of morose

Adjective

Driven heavily by lyricism, especially that of the melancholic Mexican singer Ed Maverick, and his ability to forge a new path in the Mexican indie folk scene, Selines dreamt of becoming a professional singer at 15.

— Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Unlike the brighter, more melodic style often associated with Austria and the Tyrol region, Swiss yodeling is slower and more melancholic — an emotionally nuanced tradition rooted in distinct regional dialects.

— Jez Fielder, Fortune, 30 June 2026

Definition of melancholic

Adjective

The sea of yellow applauding the efforts of the dejected Brazilian players who milled about, seemingly unwilling to accept that a match that took so long to really get going was over so quickly.

— Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 5 July 2026
Reactions both delirious and dejected have become a staple on national and global soccer telecasts.

— Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 3 July 2026

Definition of dejected

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mirthfulness

mirthless

mirthlessly

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“Mirthless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mirthless. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of mirthless

adjective

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