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
During the interview, an unsmiling, downcast Affleck gave rambling answers and repeatedly looked off camera, as a clip of the interview shows.
—
Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2024
To emphasize Hezbollah’s resolve, hundreds of soldiers marched in precise formation, unsmiling and staring straight ahead, with their rifles across their chests, their fatigues pressed, and their boots gleaming.
—Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 22 July 2024
But courage has many faces, and a revolution takes all sorts — and one made up only of unsmiling soldiers is likely to lead only to war.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 16 June 2024
She’s clipped, judgmental and unsmiling—there hasn’t been a figure of such puritanical disapproval since Amy Adams in The Master.
—Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for unsmiling
Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2024
To emphasize Hezbollah’s resolve, hundreds of soldiers marched in precise formation, unsmiling and staring straight ahead, with their rifles across their chests, their fatigues pressed, and their boots gleaming.
—Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 22 July 2024
But courage has many faces, and a revolution takes all sorts — and one made up only of unsmiling soldiers is likely to lead only to war.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 16 June 2024
She’s clipped, judgmental and unsmiling—there hasn’t been a figure of such puritanical disapproval since Amy Adams in The Master.
—Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for unsmiling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsmiling
Adjective
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu displayed images of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, during an address at a combat officers' graduation ceremony on Sunday, delivering a solemn message.—
Danielle Wallace,
Fox News,
23 Feb. 2025
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Language experts were consulted, solemn arguments had, brows were furrowed, everyone treated the whole thing awfully seriously.—
Nick Miller,
The Athletic,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Once again, her stern words earned tepid applause from a crowd that honestly just wanted to go two hours without thinking about humanity's downward trajectory into civil, moral, and environmental oblivion.—
Kristen Baldwin,
EW.com,
24 Feb. 2025
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But Sunday’s election could mark its sternest test yet.—
Mark Sappenfield,
The Christian Science Monitor,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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For years, though, the independent federal agency took serious enforcement actions, which were spurred by consumer complaints and investigative reports.—
Susan Tompor,
USA TODAY,
18 Feb. 2025
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Monday's crash is the fifth serious aviation incident since late January, including the crash at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport near Washington, D.C., between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines passenger plane that left 67 dead.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
18 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unsmiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsmiling. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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