mirthless
adjective
mirth·less ˈmərth-ləs 
: containing no gaiety or joy
A vague mirthless grin contracted Liff Hyatt's face …—
Edith Wharton
Edith Wharton
Voldemort turned his scarlet eyes upon Harry, laughing a high, cold, mirthless laugh.—J. K. Rowling
J. K. Rowling
mirthlessness noun
Examples of mirthless in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Historically, autocrats are a mirthless bunch. —David Remnick, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2025 Splashes of elegance in gravestone carving appear as the mirthless old Puritans die, people get richer, and London goes royal. —Brian T. Allen, National Review, 19 July 2025 Why is this one mirthless and artless? —Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 29 Jan. 2025 Yet there was a mirthless response from those around him; a realisation there was an element of truth to his chant. —Roshane Thomas, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024 His mirthless laugh might have suggested Kafkaesque persecution, or Hardyesque inexorability of fate. —Tad Friend, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024 Susan Faludi Laugh-In On the joyful Kamala Harris and the mirthless Donald Trump Nathaniel Rich Silent Spring Why aren’t the candidates talking about climate change? —Patricia J. Williams, The New York Review of Books, 18 Oct. 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
David Remnick, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2025 Splashes of elegance in gravestone carving appear as the mirthless old Puritans die, people get richer, and London goes royal. —Brian T. Allen, National Review, 19 July 2025 Why is this one mirthless and artless? —Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 29 Jan. 2025 Yet there was a mirthless response from those around him; a realisation there was an element of truth to his chant. —Roshane Thomas, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024 His mirthless laugh might have suggested Kafkaesque persecution, or Hardyesque inexorability of fate. —Tad Friend, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024 Susan Faludi Laugh-In On the joyful Kamala Harris and the mirthless Donald Trump Nathaniel Rich Silent Spring Why aren’t the candidates talking about climate change? —Patricia J. Williams, The New York Review of Books, 18 Oct. 2024
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“Mirthless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/dictionary/mirthless. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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