as in earnestness
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Recent Examples of humorlessness
One of my major disappointments in a lot of the writing was its humorlessness.
—
Diya Chacko, Oc Register, 21 Oct. 2025
Diya Chacko, Oc Register, 21 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humorlessness
Noun
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His ability to balance earnestness and whimsy, dedication and delight, have reaped palpable benefits for SummerFest.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
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Taparjan’s voiceover fills the soundtrack with the same earnestness.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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As Agathe comes to understand the extent of her troubles, Exarchopoulos’ performance achieves a sorrowful gravitas.—
Jon Frosch,
The Hollywood Reporter,
23 Jan. 2023
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But this reboot had gravitas, for Larroquette at least.—
Alexis Soloski,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2023
Noun
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It's done with such seriousness and attention to detail you’d almost be convinced this moon mission succeeded 19 years before Apollo 11's monumental landing.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
30 Mar. 2026
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At her presser, the Sacramento Bee's Joe Davidson asked Staley about wearing Johnson's shirt and balancing fun with seriousness.—
Megan Armstrong,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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That is the highest-level designation for severe accidents, placing it alongside the fatal Challenger (1986) and Columbia (2003) shuttle disasters in terms of gravity.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Mar. 2026
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The Moon is exceptionally large compared with Earth for a natural satellite, and at only 30 Earth-diameters away from the Earth, its gravity is significant enough to be the dominant factor in determining the oceanic tides that our planet experiences.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Despite the bitter path to this threshold—the debate started in earnest in 1915—almost no one cheered.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Mar. 2026
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The trial, which is expected to last two weeks, started in earnest on March 10 with opening statements, and three other accusers are poised to testify, the New York Times reported.—
Victoria Bekiempis,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Because of the way the director works, emotions tend to be more discussed than felt, although there’s something about Carla’s desperation that pierces through all the soberness.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Preventing the entry of the Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Keeper of the Holy Land, moreover in a central solemnity for the faith such as Palm Sunday, constitutes an offense not only for believers, but for every community that recognizes religious freedom.—
Eric Mack,
FOXNews.com,
29 Mar. 2026
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Jacir’s film, which was short-listed (but not nominated) for the Oscar for Best International Feature, has no use for art-film solemnity.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Humorlessness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humorlessness. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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