smiley
noun
a digital icon, a sequence of keyboard symbols, or a handwritten or printed equivalent, that serves to represent a facial expression, as :‐) for a smiling face or ;‐) for a winking face.
smiley
1 American
[smahy-lee]
/ ˈsmaɪ li /
noun
-
smileys
plural
-
a digital icon, a sequence of keyboard symbols, or a handwritten or printed equivalent, that serves to represent a facial expression, as :‐) for a smiling face or ;‐) for a winking face.
-
Usually smile face a drawing of a face consisting of a usually yellow circle with an upturned curve for a smile and two dots for eyes.
adjective
Smiley
2
American
[smahy-lee]
/ ˈsmaɪ li /
noun
smiley
British
/ ˈsmaɪlɪ /
adjective
-
given to smiling; cheerful
-
depicting a smile
a smiley badge
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of smiley
1985–90
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“It’s A No For Me,” he tersely posted on social media, accompanied by a smiley face emoji wearing shades.
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2026
Images on social media showed a person scaling the fence in a costume that included a smiley face head with sunglasses, prompting the monkeys to scatter.
From Barron's ● May 18, 2026
The company says the avatar, called Mico and resembling a blob with a smiley face, is "not a mascot, but an optional visual identity for Copilot".
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
The black-and-white smiley motif of the Vertigo, an events space, sat right next to her face, just happy to be there, it seemed, above a painted sign that says “Ready to Party?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
They got all smiley and stuck out their hands to shake and said like a duet: “Nice to meet you, John.”
From "Crash" by Jerry Spinelli
“The community rallied to its own defense, which brings me joy,” Smiley said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
"This juxtaposition could make it more difficult for Meta to build credibility in an area where it's already a laggard," Smiley added.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
That's the case of Adam Smiley Poswolsky, who is now a 42-year-old public speaker and author who talks and writes about how to improve workplace cultures.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
In the shop’s front window was a single book: “The Rich and the Rest of Us: A Poverty Manifesto” by Tavis Smiley and Cornel West, surrounded by signs that read “Forced Out!,”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
Mayor Smiley mopped sweat from his neck with a silk handkerchief, although little Willy thought it was quite cool in the room.
From "Stone Fox" by John Reynolds Gardiner
The original Twitter thread, laden with exclamation points and smileys, aimed to provoke amazement and incredulity.
From New York Times ● Jun. 29, 2021
Yellow smileys painted on the tarmac reminded everyone to keep atwo metres apart.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 24, 2020
Now, though, that record may come down to anodyne emails with smileys at the end.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 24, 2016
These monochromatic buttons share little more than a basic concept with the slickly designed, subtly drop-shaded smileys and figurines we know today.
From Slate ● Dec. 7, 2015
We call them smileys because when you’re done eating all the meat off it, the goat looks like it’s smiling at you from the plate.
From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
