SMILED Synonyms: 49 Similar and Opposite Words

smiled

verb

past tense of smile

as in grinned

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

as in laughed

to express scornful amusement by means of facial contortions smiled at their ridiculous antics and walked away in disgust

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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 smiled The Boston Blue star literally leaned into the moment, laying his head on Osmond’s shoulder as the two men smiled and soaked up the rapturous screams from the audience. — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2026 Lock smiled in surprise, then tried, unsuccessfully, to hide his next emotion. — Sam McDowell 9, Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2026 The suspect wanted for pushing his estranged girlfriend and her infant daughter off their 15th-floor Bronx balcony, killing the woman, has been arrested — and smiled shamelessly when escorted to court by cops to face justice Thursday. — Theodore Parisienne, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026 Carrasco smiled as he was walked out of the 49th Precinct Thursday afternoon with shackles on his legs and arms. — Lisa Rozner, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026 In the first photo, Sweeney smiled while taking a mirror selfie, with the two small charms visible around her neck. — Danielle Minnetian, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026 The longtime Paul McCartney collaborator smiled and nodded, taking in the moment during the final night of Eddie Vedder‘s annual Southern California festival. — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2026 Awartani and Aliahmad, sitting in the front row of the courtroom gallery, smiled and hugged people around them. — ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026 When we were done, the mother handed me a tip and smiled apologetically before getting into her car. — Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for smiled

Verb

Riley grinned with his team protecting an eight-point lead in front of a rowdy, record crowd of 114,419 decked in all white at Beaver Stadium on Saturday night.

— Jordan Puente, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026
In photos obtained by the Daily Mail, the singer could be seen smiling in the back seat of an SUV while her soccer player boyfriend of two years grinned from the front seat.

— Meg Walters, InStyle, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of grinned

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smile

smiled

smiles

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Style

“Smiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smiled. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of smiled

verb

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