joyless

[joi-lis]

adjective

1. without joy or gladness; unhappy.

   the joyless days of the war.

   Synonyms: miserable, dismal, gloomy, cheerless, sad
   Antonyms: joyous

2. causing no joy or pleasure.

joyless

/ ˈdʒɔɪlɪs /

adjective

1. having or producing no joy or pleasure

Other Word Forms

• joylessly adverb
• joylessness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of joyless¹

First recorded in 1300–50, joyless is from the Middle English word joyles. See joy, -less

Example Sentences

To outsiders, founder life might appear joyless—young people chasing their fortunes in one of America’s most picturesque cities without taking time to explore it, living on prepackaged meals eaten hunched at their computers.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Zalaegerszeg in western Hungary does not get to join the hall of infamy, not after Scotland won a fairly joyless, but wholly professional, behind-closed-doors contest against Belarus.

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There was a Lions tour four years ago but it was a joyless grind in Covid times, so you could argue that Saturday has been eight years in the making and not four.

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It seems joyless and sad, especially for women.

Read more on Salon

I agree with Molly Jong-Fast that the tone of non-stop outrage from that era backfired, by making liberals seem joyless and hysterical.

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Related Words

• bleak 
• dejected 
• depressing 
• dismal 
• downcast 
• dreary 
• miserable