joylessadj.
/ˈdʒɔɪlᵻs/, U.S. /ˈdʒɔɪlᵻs/ 1. Destitute of joy; having, feeling, or manifesting no joy; sad, cheerless. †Sometimes const. of.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > dejection > [adjective]
ungladc888
wearyc888
drearyc1000
dreary-moodOE
heavyc1000
unmerryOE
droopy?c1225
mournc1275
sada1300
languishinga1325
amayedc1330
matec1330
unlightc1330
unblissful1340
lowa1382
mishappyc1390
dullc1393
elengely1393
droopinga1400
heavy-hearteda1400
joylessa1400
sytefula1400
mornifc1400
tristy?c1400
lightless?1406
heartlessa1413
tristc1420
amatec1425
languoring?c1425
mirthlessc1430
heavisome1435
darkc1440
gloomingc1440
comfortlessc1460
amateda1470
chermatc1475
tristfula1492
lustless?1507
dolorous1513
ruthful1513
downcast1521
deject1528
heartsicka1529
lumpisha1535
coolc1540
dowlyc1540
glum1547
discouraged1548
uncheerfulc1555
dumpish1560
out of heart1565
sadded1566
amoped1573
tristive1578
desolated1580
dejected1581
à la mort1586
delightless1589
afflicted1590
gladless1590
groanful1590
gloomya1593
muddy1592
sitheful1592
cloudy1594
leaden-hearted1596
disconsolated1598
clum1599
life-weary1599
spiritless1600
dusky1602
chop-fallen1604
flat1604
disanimated1605
jaw-fallen1605
moped1606
chap-fallen1608
decheerful1608
uncheerful1612
lacklustrea1616
pulled1616
dumpya1618
depressed1621
head-hung1632
grum1640
downa1644
dispirited1647
down-at-mouth1649
down in (rarely of) the mouth1649
unhearted1650
sunlessa1658
sadful1658
unlightened1659
chagrin1665
saddened1665
damp1667
moping1674
desponding1688
tristitious1694
unenjoying1697
unraised1697
unheartya1699
unked1698
despondent1699
dismal1705
unjoyful1709
unrejoiced1714
dreara1717
disheartened1720
mumpish1721
unrejoicing1726
downhearted1742
out of spirits1745
chagrineda1754
low-spirited1753
sombrea1767
black-blooded1771
glumpy1780
oorie1787
sombrous1789
morose1791
Novemberish1793
glumpish1800
mopeful1800
die-away1802
blue-devilish1804
blue-devilled1807
malagrugrous1818
down in the hip1826
yonderly1828
sunshineless1831
downfaced1832
broody1851
in a (or the) trough1856
blue-devilly1871
drooped1873
glummy1884
pippy1886
humpy1889
pipped1914
lousy1933
pissed1943
crappy1956
doomy1961
bummed1970
the mind > emotion > suffering > feeling of weariness or tedium > [adjective] > wearisome or tedious
dreicha1300
alangec1330
joylessa1400
tedious1412
wearifulc1454
weary1465
laboriousa1475
tiresome?a1513
irksome1513
wearisome1530
woodena1566
irkful1570
flat1573
leaden1593
barren1600
soaked1600
unlively1608
dulla1616
irking1629
drearisome1633
drear1645
plumbous1651
fatigable1656
dreary1667
uncurious1685
unenlivened1692
blank1726
disinteresting1737
stupid1748
stagnant1749
trist?1756
vegetable1757
borish1766
uninteresting1769
unenlivening1774
oorie1787
wearying1796
subjectless1803
yawny1805
wearing1811
stuffy1813
sloomy1820
tediousome1823
arid1827
lacklustrous1834
boring1839
featureless1839
slow1840
sodden1853
ennuying1858
dusty1860
cabbagy1861
old1864
mouldy1876
yawnful1878
drab1880
dehydrated1884
interestless1886
jay1889
boresome1895
stodgy1895
stuffy1895
yawnsome1900
sludgy1901
draggy1922
blah1937
nowhere1940
drack1945
stupefactive1970
schleppy1978
wack1986
a1400–50 Alexander 1284 Full ioyles he rydes. Ay he gretis as he gase.
c1400 (?c1380) Pearl l. 252 I haf ben a Ioylez Iuelere.
1594 W. Shakespeare Lucrece sig. M1v While with a ioylesse [1623 joyless] smile, shee turnes awaie The face. View more context for this quotation
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iv. 766 Not in the bought smile Of Harlots, loveless, joyless, unindeard. View more context for this quotation
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 106 The youthful Bull..Forsakes his Food, and pining for the Lass, Is joyless of the Grove.
1732 G. Berkeley Alciphron I. ii. xiii. 100 It will barely subsist, in a dull joyless insipid state.
1883 19th Cent. Nov. 811 The lives of the people are joyless.
2. Causing or affording no joy; cheerless, dismal, dreary.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > dejection > [adjective] > gloomy or depressing
darkOE
unmerryOE
deathlyc1225
dolefulc1275
elengec1275
dreicha1300
coolc1350
cloudyc1374
sada1375
colda1400
deadlya1400
joylessc1400
unjoyful?c1400
disconsolatea1413
mournfula1425
funeralc1425
uncheerfulc1449
dolent1489
dolesome1533
heavy-hearted1555
glum1558
ungladsome1558
black1562
pleasureless1567
dern1570
plaintive?1570
glummish1573
cheerless1575
comfortless1576
wintry1579
glummy1580
funebral1581
discouraging1584
dernful?1591
murk1596
recomfortless1596
sullen1597
amating1600
lugubrious1601
dusky1602
sable1603
funebrial1604
damping1607
mortifying1611
tearful?1611
uncouth1611
dulsome1613
luctual1613
dismal1617
winterous1617
unked1620
mopish1621
godforsaken?1623
uncheerly1627
funebrious1630
lugubrous1632
drearisome1633
unheartsome1637
feral1641
drear1645
darksome1649
sadding1649
saddening1650
disheartening1654
funebrous1654
luctiferous1656
mestifical1656
tristifical1656
sooty1657
dreary1667
tenebrose1677
clouded1682
tragicala1700
funereal1707
gloomy1710
sepulchrala1711
dumpishc1717
bleaka1719
depressive1727
lugubre1727
muzzy1728
dispiriting1733
uncheery1760
unconsolatory1760
unjolly1764
Decemberly1765
sombre1768
uncouthie1768
depressing1772
unmirthful1782
sombrous1789
disanimating1791
Decemberish1793
grey1794
uncheering1796
ungenial1796
uncomforting1798
disencouraginga1806
stern1812
chilling1815
uncheered1817
dejecting1818
mopey1821
desponding1828
wisht1829
leadening1835
unsportful1837
demoralizing1840
Novemberish1840
frigid1844
morne1844
tragic1848
wet-blanketty1848
morgue1850
ungladdeneda1851
adusk1856
smileless1858
soul-sick1858
Novemberya1864
saturnine1863
down1873
lacklustre1883
Heaven-abandoneda1907
downbeat1952
doomy1967
c1400 (?c1380) Patience l. 146 Hit watz a ioyles gyn þat Ionas watz inne.
1594 W. Shakespeare Titus Andronicus iv. ii. 66 A Ioyles [1623 ioylesse], dismall, blacke, and sorrowfull issue, Here is the babe as loathsome as a toade. View more context for this quotation
1740 C. Wesley in J. Wesley & C. Wesley Hymns & Sacred Poems i. 25 Joyless is the Day's Return Till thy Mercy's Beams I see.
1804 J. Grahame Sabbath On other days the man of toil is doomed To eat his joyless bread, lonely.
1859 E. Cook Poems (new ed.) 301 The crowd and the city are joyless to me.
Derivatives
ˈjoylessly adv.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > dejection > [adverb]
ungladly?c1225
wanlyc1275
dolefullyc1290
ruefullya1300
elengelyc1305
heavisomelya1382
lumpishlyc1450
tristily?c1450
dowlyc1540
unjoyfully1553
tragically1567
dully1600
tragicly1604
heartlessly1606
unjovially1607
dejectedly1611
dejectly1611
disconsolately1614
dumpishly1621
uncheerfullya1628
dolorously1638
mopishly1651
despondingly1656
despondentlya1677
unhappily1688
dismally1709
gloomily1727
grumly1727
joylessly1766
mopingly1788
sombrously1796
glumly1805
malagrugrously1818
funerally1829
broodingly1834
unenjoyingly1844
downheartedly1847
unblissfully1849
droopingly1852
dreichly1853
sombrely1860
dispiritedly1864
glumpily1865
pleasurelessly1873
depressedly1880
chapfallenly1883
sighfully1900
bleakly1938
1766 G. Canning tr. M. de Polignac Anti-Lucretius v. 402 The lazy blood moves joylessly.
1881 M. C. Hay Missing III. 240 Gravely and joylessly looking up into Alfred's face.
ˈjoylessness n.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > dejection > [noun] > gloomy quality
drear1563
dreariment1579
drearihead1591
cloudinessa1600
dismalness1620
dolesomeness1625
cheerlessnessa1631
joylessnessa1631
drearihood1647
clouding1654
dismality1723
dreariness1727
mirthlessness1727
sombre1795
undelighta1822
sombreness1847
sombrousness1847
unhomelikeness1858
drearness1861
comfortlessness1865
unhomeliness1879
a1631 J. Donne Serm. (1954) VII. 69 A faintnesse of heart, a chearlesnesse, a joylesnesse of spirit.
1884 Spectator 4 Oct. 1307/2 The general joylessness of the lives of the poor.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1901; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
<
adj.a1400