Synonyms of smiling

smiling 1 of 3

adjective

as in laughing

Related Words

• laughing
• amused
• jovial
• giggling
• chuckling
• merry
• gleeful
• jolly
• cheerful
• beaming
• mirthful
• cheery
• jocose
• carefree
• festive
• upbeat
• jocular
• blithe
• buoyant
• lighthearted
• sunny
• perky
• joyful
• chipper
• joking
• jubilant
• bouncing
• joyous
• vivacious
• exuberant
• spirited
• lively
• ecstatic
• jocund
• delighted
• enraptured
• jaunty
• animated
• blithesome
• gay
• exultant
• sprightly
• happy
• amusing
• radiant
• rapturous
• blissful
• peppy
• euphoric
• playful
• frisky
• funny
• witty
• hilarious
• blessed
• flippant
• bright
• elated
• optimistic
• overjoyed
• unconcerned
• facetious
• exhilarated
• lightsome
• thrilled
• easygoing
• tickled
• hopeful
• frolicsome
• entranced
• zippy
• sportive
• jesting
• rosy
• gladsome
• ravished
• sanguine
• joshing
• insouciant
• cavalier
• sprightful
• high
• humorous
• comic
• happy-go-lucky
• comical
• riotous
• antic
• uproarious
• farcical
• devil-may-care
• sidesplitting

Dissimilar Words

• crying
• sad
• blue
• unhappy
• depressed
• downcast
• sorrowful
• melancholy
• weeping
• anguished
• glum
• disconsolate
• dejected
• aggrieved
• forlorn
• despondent
• crestfallen
• abject
• wailing
• dispirited
• sobbing
• heartbroken
• saddened
• disheartened
• brokenhearted
• discontented
• disgruntled
• moody
• sorry
• mournful
• black
• plaintive
• heartsick
• gray
• doleful
• sullen
• downhearted
• dark
• moaning
• lugubrious
• gloomy
• somber
• heavyhearted
• low-spirited
• groaning
• joyless
• morose
• depressing
• bleak
• lachrymose
• woeful
• cheerless
• dolorous
• dismal
• desolate
• saturnine
• miserable
• dreary
• woebegone
• comfortless
• listless
• wretched
• lethargic
• sluggish
• dull
• torpid

smiling

2 of 3

noun

as in cheering

Related Words

• laughing
• cheering
• rejoicing
• exultation

Dissimilar Words

• tears
• keen
• groan
• wail
• howl
• moan
• lament
• lamentation
• cry
• plaint
• sob
• suffering
• weeping
• mourning
• sorrowing
• grieving
• agonizing

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

• grinning
• laughing
• beaming
• sneering
• smirking
• simpering

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• grimacing
• frowning
• scowling
• glaring
• lowering
• glowering
• pouting
• sulking
• glooming

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

• laughing
• sneering
• snickering
• sniggering
• snorting
• sniffing
• jeering
• insulting
• ridiculing
• mocking
• deriding
• gibing
• hooting
• disdaining
• taunting
• despising
• teasing
• decrying
• disparaging
• belittling
• scoffing (at)
• scorning
• catcalling
• tormenting
• razzing
• riding
• heckling
• ribbing
• jiving
• bad-mouthing
• pooh-poohing
• putting down

Example Sentences

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

And amidst all the hullabaloo sits the British writer-director, smiling to himself. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 8 Nov. 2026

As the headliner was smiling, waving and singing to the crowd, the fans returned the same energy back until the lights came on. — Rashad Alexander november 7, Kansas City Star, 7 Nov. 2026

In December, a woman appeared next to him, smiling in the snow. — Merritt Tierce, New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2026

But perhaps the most meaningful moment of Thursday’s introduction wasn’t when Wash was smiling but when he was nearly moved to tears. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 5 Nov. 2026

The carousel is filled out with snaps of the family soaking up the sun and smiling for the camera. — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Nov. 2026

Years of smiling, laughing, or making any number of facial expressions can lead to deeper folds and wrinkles over time. — Deanna Pai, Vogue, 4 Nov. 2026

With the pope smiling warmly in his usual traditional white robes, Dylan wears a hooded black zip-up underneath a jacket and looks at the Bishop of Rome intently. — Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 4 Nov. 2026

The pair shared a remarkable similarity in the smiling selfie taken at SoFi Stadium, wearing dark shades, wide grins and their hair in a center part. — Clare Fisher, PEOPLE, 3 Nov. 2026