smiley

[ smahy-lee ]

/ ˈsmaɪ li /

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See synonyms for smiley on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural smil·eys.Also called smiley face .

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.Compare emoticon.

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

cheerful; smiling.

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The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.

affect

effect

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Origin of smiley

1985–90

Words nearby smiley

smilacaceous, smilax, smile, smile on, Smiles, smiley, smilodon, smir, smirch, smirk, smirting

Other definitions for smiley (2 of 2)

Smiley

[ smahy-lee ]

/ ˈsmaɪ li /

noun

Jane, born 1949, U.S. novelist.

How to use smiley in a sentence

He included an emoji of a smiley face spouting tears of laughter.
Glenn Greenwald may have quit the Intercept, but he can’t quit the feud|Paul Farhi|May 21, 2021|Washington Post
In a guest book outside the door, Greene writes “You’re a traitor,” accompanied by a smiley face.
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s years-long campaign to disparage and attack Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez|Philip Bump|May 14, 2021|Washington Post
That’s totally different from basic smiley face emoji, for example.
The woman who will decide what emoji we get to use|Tanya Basu|May 11, 2021|MIT Technology Review
Flash forward to today, and those smiley faces may be key to saving us from the Covid-19 pandemic—or other viral foes lurking in our future.
How Fake Viruses Can Help Us Make the Best Possible Vaccines|Shelly Fan|July 7, 2020|Singularity Hub

Tavis Smiley, the PBS talk show host and close friend to Cornel West, often credits West with having a “useable intellect.”
Cornel West’s Disappointing Decline|David Masciotra|October 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Smiley, meanwhile, tried to tamp down fears by comparing the Ebola outbreak to the SARS outbreak of 2003.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: October 19|PunditFact.com|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Tavis Smiley criticized the media for Ebola fear-mongering, and George Will claimed the virus could spread through the air.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: October 19|PunditFact.com|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Smiley is a PBS talk show host who has written several previous books about the African-American experience.
Tavis Smiley Humanely Chronicles MLK’s Sad Last Year|Scott Porch|October 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley Lear gave away his kingdom.
Book Bag: 5 Novels Shakespeare Sort of Wrote|Lois Leveen|October 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is where the stranger says to Smiley, "I don't see no p'ints about that frog that's any better'n any other frog."
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete|Albert Bigelow Paine
And you—why should you be going to expense, and knocking out things that costs money, because Mother Smiley's coming?
Orley Farm|Anthony Trollope
If she could get him to swallow some hot food before Mrs. Smiley came, all might yet be well.
Orley Farm|Anthony Trollope
He was thinking of Miriam Usbech as she was twenty years ago, and of Mrs. Smiley as she appeared at present.
Orley Farm|Anthony Trollope
He was considered to have made his offer, and Mrs. Smiley thereupon formally accepted him.
Orley Farm|Anthony Trollope

British Dictionary definitions for smiley

smiley

/ (ˈsmaɪlɪ) /

adjective

given to smiling; cheerful

depicting a smilea smiley badge

noun

any of a group of symbols depicting a smile, or other facial expression, used in electronic mail

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

smiley

Origin of smiley

Words nearby smiley

Other definitions for smiley (2 of 2)

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How to use smiley in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for smiley