as in solemn
not joking or playful in mood or manner
delivered the reprimand with a harsh and unsmiling face
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 unsmiling
The camera showed an unsmiling Taurasi shaking her head.
—
Beth Harris, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2025
The portrait's lack of background and Trump's unsmiling gaze further differentiates it from those of his predecessors.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 4 June 2025
And often next to Ed, holding a single malt, there would be an unsmiling writer of great pretension looking down at you from a great height.
—Gary Shteyngart, The Atlantic, 4 June 2025
His Rick Honeycutt is utterly humorless, but the movie isn’t; there are plenty of laughs in pitting his deadpan impatience — conveyed by an unsmiling mouth under a push-broom mustache — against the idiot confidence of Billy Crudup’s man-child entrepreneur.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for unsmiling
Beth Harris, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2025
The portrait's lack of background and Trump's unsmiling gaze further differentiates it from those of his predecessors.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 4 June 2025
And often next to Ed, holding a single malt, there would be an unsmiling writer of great pretension looking down at you from a great height.
—Gary Shteyngart, The Atlantic, 4 June 2025
His Rick Honeycutt is utterly humorless, but the movie isn’t; there are plenty of laughs in pitting his deadpan impatience — conveyed by an unsmiling mouth under a push-broom mustache — against the idiot confidence of Billy Crudup’s man-child entrepreneur.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for unsmiling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsmiling
Adjective
-
Queen Emma was the first to wear the sapphire tiara in official portraits and solemn ceremonies, setting a precedent that her successors respected.—
Marta Martínez Tato,
Vanity Fair,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Good Friday is a solemn day for Christians, who may reflect, fast and attend special church services.—
Bebe Hodges,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
That way, your ideas can land without sounding stern.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Carro ended the hearing with a stern directive to defense lawyers, who repeatedly pushed back on the June 8 trial date.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In a statement to NBC News, Daiichi Sankyo, which makes Savaysa, said that the drug is used to reduce the risk of stroke and clots but added that anticoagulants can increase the risk of serious bleeding.—
David Cox,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Many of these people had been charged with serious crimes like assaulting security officers or bus and train operators, weapons possession, or threatening drivers.—
Amber Gaudet
Updated February 5,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unsmiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsmiling. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
