smiling 1 of 3

adjective

as in laughing

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smiling

2 of 3

noun

as in cheering

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smiling

3 of 3

verb

present participle of smile
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

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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

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of smiling
Adjective
Women in black hijabs and abayas, many wearing badges depicting Zahra’s smiling face, lined the streets as men prayed over her casket, placed outside the Husseiniya, a Shiite hall. — Rania Abouzeid, New Yorker, 21 May 2026 As Thomas’ parents, Katina Smith and Bobby Thomas, unveiled their son’s smiling statue in the Broncos’ Ring of Fame Plaza last Sunday, as scores of his former teammates looked on in sadness and joy, Miller was 800 miles away in Dallas, gearing up for a game against the Cowboys. — Luca Evans, Denver Post, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
Karen Jesch, a PhD student at Boston College’s Canine Cognition Center, points out that human smiling is a strange behavior to begin with, and not always a happy one. — Niranjana Rajalakshmi, Popular Science, 14 May 2026 There was a lot of nervous smiling. — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025 Umanmielen responded with a GIF of a smiling, but famously blind, Stevie Wonder. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 25 Sep. 2025
Verb
In this Instagram photo, she was accompanied by her mother and sister (dressed as the moon and a star, respectively) and her two daughters, Haley, smiling in a unicorn costume, and Hope, dressed in dalmatian spots. — Diane J. Cho, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026 The stories feature the titular George, a mischievous, tailless, almost-always-smiling monkey exploring New York City, and his human companion, the Man in the Yellow Hat. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026 Next comes the arrival of a tinkling blue ice cream truck manned by an eerily silent, smiling, wraith-like purveyor (Ari Millen) with a John Waters mustache. — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026 The accompanying video showed a baby Mabel smiling and reaching for her father, as well as various clips of the new teenager traveling, playing at the park, and petting a cute dog at a bookstore. — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 6 Aug. 2026 Some of those press releases have included photos of a seated, smiling McConnell alongside his wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. — Kevin Breuninger,garrett Downs, CNBC, 6 Aug. 2026 The ​pitch is reinforced by the document’s anime-style cover, which depicts a smiling family in a gleaming cityscape rather than ​the troops, weapons and military insignia featured on many previous editions. — Reuters, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026 Around them, campers duck in and out for medications beneath murals of smiling farm animals, eager to get back to the day’s activities. — Rachel Hale, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026 Dazed but also smiling, the remnant no doubt of a megalomania that ran unchallenged for too long. — Literary Hub, 3 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smiling
  1. amused
  2. laughing
  3. grinning
  4. jovial
  5. merry
  6. gleeful
  7. jolly
  8. cheerful
Adjective
  • The woman got up on their table and gleefully pretended to tap dance, drawing an amused crowd of onlookers.
    — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Hardin is more amused than annoyed, particularly given the origin of the FTD Burger.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026
Definition of amused
Noun
  • The thought of coworkers open-mouthed laughing is enough to jar anyone awake.
    — Alexandra Hildreth, Vogue, 24 July 2026
  • A lot of shouting, a lot of laughing, a lot of talk.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 26 June 2026
Definition of laughing
Verb
  • This plush captures its jolly mood with a big smile and a grinning sun across its belly (complete with sunglasses).
    — Sian Babish, PEOPLE, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Prince William had a rare casual moment while go-karting in July 1988 at Buckmore Park Playscape, captured in a portrait of him grinning while holding his helmet.
    — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 22 July 2026
Definition of grinning
Adjective
  • And yet, Simon Farnaby is perhaps most recognizable for mugging his rather expressive and jovial face, usually beneath a crop of untamed curly hair, across a series of scene-stealing comic cameos.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Add in Roger’s jovial friend named McKenna, who owns a bar that’s a den of thieves, and various other colorful characters, and this thrill ride is first-rate entertainment.
    — Monitor reviewers, Christian Science Monitor, 23 July 2026
Definition of jovial
Adjective
  • Fortune’s intrepid tech editor, Alexei Oreskovic, and his merry band of reporters will carry on in my absence.
    — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Last year, which marked the first holiday season for Epic Universe, merry decor was concentrated in its Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic and Celestial Park sections.
    — Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of merry
Adjective
  • The gleeful melodies of the church choir practicing next door seeped in.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Both gleeful gore and anachronistic music have been part of Lizzie Borden pop-culture lore before.
    — Dan Medeiros, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of gleeful
Adjective
  • Both his suggestion and the jolly appreciation seem out of tune with the situation ‘far from home’, which may be a military manoeuvre involving mock battles and bayonet practice, or a preparation for actual combat.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Aug. 2026
  • This plush captures its jolly mood with a big smile and a grinning sun across its belly (complete with sunglasses).
    — Sian Babish, PEOPLE, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of jolly
Adjective
  • Perhaps a more cheerful outlet for such fears is to become more frequent farmers market shoppers before the season ends.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • But for Miller, creating a cheerful classroom isn’t about filling every available space.
    — Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of cheerful

Browse Nearby Words

smiles
smiling
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Cite this Entry

“Smiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smiling. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of smiling for Spanish Speakers

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