smiling 1 of 3

adjective

as in laughing

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

smiling

2 of 3

noun

as in cheering

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

smiling

3 of 3

verb

present participle of smile
1
as in grinning
to express an emotion (as amusement) by curving the lips upward the soldier smiled in pleasure when he saw the giant sign welcoming him home

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sneering
to express scornful amusement by means of facial contortions smiled at their ridiculous antics and walked away in disgust

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 smiling
Adjective
Women in black hijabs and abayas, many wearing badges depicting Zahra’s smiling face, lined the streets as men prayed over her casket, placed outside the Husseiniya, a Shiite hall. — Rania Abouzeid, New Yorker, 21 May 2026 As Thomas’ parents, Katina Smith and Bobby Thomas, unveiled their son’s smiling statue in the Broncos’ Ring of Fame Plaza last Sunday, as scores of his former teammates looked on in sadness and joy, Miller was 800 miles away in Dallas, gearing up for a game against the Cowboys. — Luca Evans, Denver Post, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
In the post, De Laurentiis shared an image of Jade, 18, sitting on her dorm bed holding Radiohead’s In Rainbows record and smiling. — Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026 The boos were more scattered and barely audible amidst the applause and cheers, which grew louder when the ballpark’s video boards showed the 2018 champ smiling, clapping, and waving from the visitors’ dugout. — Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 21 Aug. 2026 Karen Jesch, a PhD student at Boston College’s Canine Cognition Center, points out that human smiling is a strange behavior to begin with, and not always a happy one. — Niranjana Rajalakshmi, Popular Science, 14 May 2026 There was a lot of nervous smiling. — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025 Umanmielen responded with a GIF of a smiling, but famously blind, Stevie Wonder. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 25 Sep. 2025
Verb
As Gansey greeted them, shaking hands, taking photos and smiling endlessly, one stepped forward with a question that encapsulated everything. — Tony Jones, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026 Where the Europeans see a battle to be won, and even the other Sherpa see a terrifying sacred force, Tenzing sees a heavenly mother — smiling down on him since childhood, bearing witness to his heartbreaks in adulthood, calling him now to come home. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026 Following photos of major partying, dancing, beer pong and people in bunny hats was a snap of the two sharing a kiss while smiling in the second-to-last upload. — Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026 While Flynn was careful to maintain a solemn courtroom persona, Satterlee and Hansen were caught smiling for the camera. — Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026 So pretending imbalance isn't happening — like when one partner is regularly absorbing all the work and smiling through it — just delays the same resentment that often festers in exchange relationships. — Mark Travers, CNBC, 30 Aug. 2026 In Los Angeles, for example, there’s a billboard that shows an image of a smiling girl wearing Meta glasses, with her fingers placed to draw attention to the recording light that shines as brightly as her grin. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026 Hoffenberg is seen in the video smiling as the two continue their conversation and walk out of frame. — Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026 But Dolly stayed on stage, signing autographs, chatting with fans, forever smiling as popping flashcubes signaled someone had snapped another souvenir. — Michael Collins, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smiling
  1. amused
  2. laughing
  3. grinning
  4. jovial
  5. merry
  6. gleeful
  7. jolly
  8. cheerful
Adjective
  • The woman got up on their table and gleefully pretended to tap dance, drawing an amused crowd of onlookers.
    — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Hardin is more amused than annoyed, particularly given the origin of the FTD Burger.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026
Definition of amused
Noun
  • The thought of coworkers open-mouthed laughing is enough to jar anyone awake.
    — Alexandra Hildreth, Vogue, 24 July 2026
  • A lot of shouting, a lot of laughing, a lot of talk.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 26 June 2026
Definition of laughing
Verb
  • Keith’s red helmet, still covered in soot, and a photograph of him grinning, sit proudly on display.
    — Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026
  • For now, the green sage is merely a bronze statue on the lawn, posed to ignore the grinning Grogu behind him.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of grinning
Adjective
  • Redford and Newman build on their Sundance Kid chemistry to create a jovial, immersive crime epic with a surprisingly feel-good ending.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Mercury was happy to take on the title and was jovial at the baby’s christening.
    — Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of jovial
Adjective
  • The hotel itself is staffed by a small but merry cadre of Lost Boys whose endearing mix of irreverence and can-doism gives the hotel its cool, devil-may-care personality.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Rounding up his merry men of Sherwood Forest, and his Maid Marian (Olivia de Havilland), Robin goes about resisting John’s rule and securing Richard’s throne.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of merry
Adjective
  • The bikes were a smart and gleeful way to make the most of our limited time in South Lake Tahoe.
    — Wendy Altschuler, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Mitchell’s own imitation of Spielbergian life, despite its meticulous re-creation (and gleeful destruction) of eighties suburbia, stumbles into an uncanny valley between sincerity and cynicism, between unintentional comedy and deliberate homage.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of gleeful
Adjective
  • Both his suggestion and the jolly appreciation seem out of tune with the situation ‘far from home’, which may be a military manoeuvre involving mock battles and bayonet practice, or a preparation for actual combat.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Aug. 2026
  • This plush captures its jolly mood with a big smile and a grinning sun across its belly (complete with sunglasses).
    — Sian Babish, PEOPLE, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of jolly
Adjective
  • Even as a brutal heat wave threatened to smother the energy, the fest felt like a cheerful coming-out party—an announcement of the political commitments of a generation of mainstream artists more famous for singing about the self than about society.
    — Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The cheerful voice of a guide on a mic booms through the open-air cab of each old-timey bus.
    — Sonjirose Chin, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of cheerful

Browse Nearby Words

smiles
smiling
smilingly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Smiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smiling. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of shofar

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All