as in solemn
not joking or playful in mood or manner
delivered the reprimand with a harsh and unsmiling face
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Recent Examples of unsmiling
Prima felt that there was something humiliating in Ruth’s loyalty to Thalia, and in her unsmiling scrutiny of Heiss.
—
Lillian Fishman, New Yorker, 4 May 2025
Soon after the baby is declared dead, Nina is blamed by the woman’s husband and Nina’s unsmiling supervisor (Merab Ninidze) launches an investigation into what went wrong.
—Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2025
The card's main feature is Trump's face — staring downwards at the camera, unsmiling — and is flanked by the Statue of Liberty, a circle of stars and Trump's signature.
—Rachel Raposas, People.com, 4 Apr. 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
Lillian Fishman, New Yorker, 4 May 2025
Soon after the baby is declared dead, Nina is blamed by the woman’s husband and Nina’s unsmiling supervisor (Merab Ninidze) launches an investigation into what went wrong.
—Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2025
The card's main feature is Trump's face — staring downwards at the camera, unsmiling — and is flanked by the Statue of Liberty, a circle of stars and Trump's signature.
—Rachel Raposas, People.com, 4 Apr. 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
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Perhaps that should be a solemn oath for all AI makers.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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At any rate, those are the types of academics who populate After the Hunt, Luca Guadagnino’s cartoonishly solemn drama, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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From stern to bow, the boat was a lesson in restrained elegance, with plenty of teak wood and muted, calming shades.—
Rachel Wallace,
Architectural Digest,
4 Sep. 2025
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But after nabbing the part of the stern hotel manager Valentina in the second season of The White Lotus (2022), Impacciatore was launched into Hollywood fame.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Thankfully, the most recent accident was less serious, and Sabrina and their unborn child were ultimately okay.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
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Between them, Sinner and Alcaraz have dispatched their only serious rival in three straight majors, largely making every other match at these tournaments feel almost immaterial.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unsmiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsmiling. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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