brittle
adjective
a brittle laugh or smile does not show real humour or happiness
Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word
the American spelling of humourless
adjective
a sardonic smile, expression, or comment shows a lack of respect for what someone else has said or done
adjective
a set smile or expression does not change, and often hides what someone is really thinking
adjective
a sly smile, look, or remark shows that the person doing it knows something that other people do not know
adjective
if something such as your voice or smile is tremulous, it is not steady, for example because you are afraid or excited
adverb
adverb
adverb
with an obvious or silly smile
smiling a lot
a speech habit in which a speaker lowers their voice at the end of a sentence
BuzzWord ArticleOpen Dictionary
a mineral which is mined in a place where there is armed conflict, and sold to help pay for weapons
add a wordMore submissions
view entriesBlog
A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.
global English and language change from our blog