humorlessness
- noun
- /ˈhjuːmərləsnəs/
- US
- You pretty much defy all the stereotypes—the idea that depression is the result of humorlessness or self-pity or that people choose it or want it or get something out of it.
Examples
-
She has an even stronger death wish than Henchard does, and, like him, she suffers from low self-esteem, loneliness, humorlessness, and sadness.
Academic text (1997) -
What is funniest of all is the humorlessness of philosophy itself, its refusal to laugh at its own ridiculousness.
Academic text (1995) -
Her apology is undermined by declaring our outrage as purse-lipped PC humorlessness.
Blog text (4) -
His humorlessness makes it difficult for him to enjoy social gatherings where laughter is common.
-
The teacher's humorlessness during class discussions left many students feeling uneasy and reluctant to participate.
-
Despite her many achievements, her humorlessness often isolated her from friends who valued lightheartedness.
Antonyms
How Humorous
- Formal
- US
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Humorlessness comes from the word humor, which long ago meant a body 'moisture' and then came to mean a person's 'mood', plus the ending -less meaning 'without'. So humorlessness is being 'without' a playful or joking mood and unable to enjoy jokes.