humorless

adjective

hu·​mor·​less ˈhyü-mər-ləs 

1

: lacking a sense of humor

2

: lacking humorous characteristics

humorlessly

ˈhyü-mər-ləs-lē 

adverb

humorlessness noun

Synonyms

• earnest
• grave
• no-nonsense
• po-faced [British]
• sedate
• serious
• severe
• sober
• sobersided
• solemn
• staid
• uncomic
• unsmiling
• weighty

Examples of humorless in a Sentence

humorless people who can't see the lighter side of life

Recent Examples on the Web

All this alarm and losing has made Democratic politics a rather miserable and humorless endeavor. —Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2025

But the finished product feels relatively humorless, leaving the cast looking silly in scenes that might conceivably have flown if played as deadpan comedy — not a tenor achieved or seemingly even aimed for here. —Dennis Harvey, Variety, 10 Jan. 2025

Worst of all, Phillips has intentionally or unintentionally created a bizarro, humorless version of My Cousin Vinny. —Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 4 Oct. 2024

Creating online classrooms as ‘humorless’ venues deprives both teachers and students of an incredibly powerful communication asset. —Maja Zelihic, Forbes, 21 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1671, in the meaning defined at sense 1