1
as in grinning
to express an emotion (as amusement) by curving the lips upward
the soldier smiled in pleasure when he saw the giant sign welcoming him home
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sneering
to express scornful amusement by means of facial contortions
smiled at their ridiculous antics and walked away in disgust
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in laughing
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smiling
Verb
-
In the photos, Williams can be seen smiling and laughing while wearing a black dress.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
People.com,
12 Apr. 2025 -
The group later re-entered the frame laughing and high-fiving each other, court documents show.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The clip went viral with 250,000 views and a glut of comments from amused social media users.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 July 2025
-
The timing of the shift, which was announced to a theater full of stunned (yet amused) advertisers last May during WBD’s upfront presentation, was confirmed to Deadline by a person familiar with the rebrand.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
8 July 2025
Adjective
-
The jovial 38-year-old native son is in fine form of late, third on tour in strokes gained on approach shots.—
Mike Dojc,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
-
His colleagues remembered him as a jovial yet focused leader committed to improving the lives of young people.—
Blake Nelson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 July 2025
Adjective
-
The Lower East Side location is now home to Comal—a new, eclectic Mexican restaurant from chef Gaz Herbert, a Cuernavaca native—and the same downtown crowd seems to have found its merry way there.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
19 July 2025
-
History doesn’t record whether this plea was met with a merry hail of fat envelopes or with silence.—
Daniel Seifert,
JSTOR Daily,
16 July 2025
Adjective
-
So, what better way to show that the next ten months will be the longest, most gleeful goodbye possible than to invite some of your rowdy friends to come over and have some fun while Rome is burning?—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
22 July 2025
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In a post on July 1, 2024, Kevin shared more gleeful glimpses into their family time: the singer took a video of himself planting a kiss on one of his daughters' cheeks, and another of the two sisters walking off towards the pool.—
Rachel Raposas,
People.com,
22 July 2025
Adjective
-
Crosby released a number of tunes throughout his career that were made perfectly for the jolliest time of the year, and his wins are still coming his way, even decades after his passing.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes,
27 Dec. 2024
-
Instead of its usual jolly cartoons, the channel began broadcasting footage of Russian military parades accompanied by music of the Russian nationalist singer Oleg Gazmanov.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
From the cast member who clocked my son’s pin collection–and then pointed out the hotel’s own trading station—to our cheerful server at the Lava Pool, who came equipped with sandwich recommendations, everyone was consistently helpful and attentive.—
Jacqui Gifford,
Travel + Leisure,
21 July 2025
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Kurt's key takeaways The Elmo hack shattered more than just a cheerful digital persona.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
20 July 2025
Adjective
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Choose from more than a dozen colors, ranging from classic neutrals to cheery pops of color.—
Danielle Calma,
Travel + Leisure,
13 July 2025
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This bright and cheery cake is a happy hello to your new neighbors.—
Mary Shannon Wells,
Southern Living,
12 July 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Smiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smiling. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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