adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of joyless
First recorded in 1300–50, joyless is from the Middle English word joyles. See joy, -less
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.
That’s not to say it was an entirely joyless event.
From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026
The column contends this response reinforced perceptions that he is a joyless bureaucrat, not a person voters can relate to or trust with state leadership.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2026
MIAMI—Despite arriving with one of the greatest rosters ever assembled, Team USA found a way to make its time at the World Baseball Classic look rather joyless.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026
Great Britain's joyless start to the Winter Paralympics continued as wheelchair curlers Jo Butterfield and Jason Kean let slip their grasp on the mixed doubles semi-finals and missed out on qualifying.
From BBC ● Mar. 9, 2026
Maniac thought of Thanksgivings past, of sitting around a joyless table, his aunt and uncle as silent and lifeless as the mammoth bird they gnawed on.
From "Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli
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.
