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humorless

/ˈhjumərləs/
IPA guide

Someone who's humorless doesn't find anything funny. Your humorless uncle won't even crack a smile when you tell the joke that makes all your friends laugh hysterically.

Do you love funny movies? Then you might want to skip the one that reviewers described as humorless. This adjective is a good way to describe things (and people) that are overly serious, unsmiling, or unable to appreciate humor. The word comes from humor, which was originally a medical term meaning "bodily fluid," a fact that you might find amusing — although a humorless person definitely wouldn't.

Definitions of humorless
  1. adjective
    lacking humor
    “it was a humorless wink”
    synonyms: humourless, unhumorous
    sobersided
    completely lacking in humor or lightness of touch
    po-faced
    humorless and disapproving
    unfunny
    not funny; especially failing to achieve the intended humor
    see moresee less
    antonyms:
    humorous
    full of or characterized by humor
    bantering, facetious, tongue-in-cheek
    cleverly amusing in tone
    buffoonish, clownish, clownlike, zany
    like a clown
    amusing, comic, comical, funny, laughable, mirthful, risible
    arousing or provoking laughter
    droll
    comical in an odd or whimsical manner
    dry, ironic, ironical, wry
    humorously sarcastic or mocking
    farcical, ludicrous, ridiculous
    broadly or extravagantly humorous; resembling farce
    Gilbertian
    wildly comic and improbable as in Gilbert and Sullivan operas
    hilarious, screaming, uproarious
    marked by or causing boisterous merriment or convulsive laughter
    jesting, jocose, jocular, joking
    characterized by jokes and good humor
    killing, sidesplitting
    very funny
    seriocomic, seriocomical
    mixing the serious with the comic with comic predominating
    slapstick
    characterized by horseplay and physical action
    tragicomic, tragicomical
    having pathetic as well as ludicrous characteristics
    waggish
    witty or joking
    witty
    combining clever conception and facetious expression
    pleasing
    giving pleasure and satisfaction
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