Meaning & use

mirthless

adjective·Advanced

Without joy or humor; joyless, especially describing a laugh or smile that lacks real amusement.

See it in a sentence

He gave a mirthless laugh before explaining exactly why the plan had failed.

Her mirthless expression made it clear she found nothing funny about the situation.

A note on using this word

Mirthless most often modifies laugh or smile, describing an expression that looks like amusement but carries no real happiness.

Words with a similar meaning

joylesshumorless

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “mirthless”, then compare your use with the examples above.

Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.