adjective
Other Word Forms
- joylessly adverb
- joylessness noun
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.
When I say “budget better,” I don’t mean becoming stricter or joyless about food.
From Salon
The plot played out in the ring was lifeless - a slow, joyless watch that would have struggled to earn even a charitable rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
From BBC
The show "seesaws between thrilling and annoying", according to USA Today's Kelly Lawler, while the Atlantic's Sophie Gilbert described most of it as "largely joyless and grim".
From BBC
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.
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.
From BBC
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.
