as in spoilsport
a person who spoils the pleasure of others
his perpetually negative attitude made him a real killjoy when others were trying to have fun
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of killjoy
Believe it or not, between sipping delicious eggnog and hot cocoa and enjoying the joy of Yuletide with family and friends, there are still naughty killjoys afoot during Christmastime — the worst of which appear in some of the best holiday films.
—
Mike Miller, People.com, 19 Dec. 2024
That’s when a try-hard, killjoy Kansas senator, Bob Dole, convinced congressional colleagues to get serious about taxing tipped workers.
—Joseph Thorndike, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
Anybody who asks for more from this new production, therefore, or who points out what is missing, risks the charge of being the merest killjoy.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2025
Within the dog-button community, Horowitz is regarded as a killjoy.
—Camille Bromley Gabra Zackman Krish Seenivasan David Mason, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for killjoy
Mike Miller, People.com, 19 Dec. 2024
That’s when a try-hard, killjoy Kansas senator, Bob Dole, convinced congressional colleagues to get serious about taxing tipped workers.
—Joseph Thorndike, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
Anybody who asks for more from this new production, therefore, or who points out what is missing, risks the charge of being the merest killjoy.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2025
Within the dog-button community, Horowitz is regarded as a killjoy.
—Camille Bromley Gabra Zackman Krish Seenivasan David Mason, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for killjoy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for killjoy
Noun
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Suddenly, the Republicans were the spoilsports who couldn’t take the joke, a position stereotypically held by politically correct liberals.—
Rebecca Jennings,
Vox,
9 Aug. 2024
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Millennial workers are increasingly becoming the office spoilsports, with young people increasingly likely to be in it for the money rather than for fun, as years of economic turmoil force them to keep their heads down, collect their monthly paychecks, and fight for a promotion.—
BYRyan Hogg,
Fortune Europe,
26 June 2024
Noun
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Similarly to her dad, Abby tries to bring order to her crew of oddballs and cynics, most notably former night court prosecutor Dan Fielding (John Larroquette), a character from the original series.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
9 May 2025
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Abdellatif Kechiche’s 2013 graphic lesbian love story Blue Is the Warmest Color confounded cynics by winning over a jury headed by, of all people, Steven Spielberg.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
14 May 2025
Noun
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Linear planning, market dominance and top-down control no longer deliver competitive advantage in an environment shaped by geopolitical rupture, institutional drag and regulatory fragmentation.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2025
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Though the costumes for Magnussen are playfully quirky and off-beat in the live-action remake, Pleakley never appears in drag on-screen, despite director Camp advocating for the disguise.—
Benjamin VanHoose,
People.com,
24 May 2025
Noun
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Abby from Weyauwega bore witness to those predatory instincts when her dog caught sight of a squirrel in her garden.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Apr. 2025
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The Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition immediately calls for the third bore to be reserved for bikes.—
Sal Pizarro,
The Mercury News,
8 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Tired of looking like the grinch (can't help the hair).—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
27 Feb. 2025
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Tired of looking like the grinch (can't help the hair).—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
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These included cooked shrimp, grilled chicken, imitation crab salad and spicy tuna.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado,
Sacbee.com,
23 May 2025
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The solitary creatures consume upwards of 1,000 pounds of food per day, with their diet largely consisting of shrimp, krill, crabs and schooling fish, according to NOAA.—
Brendan Rascius,
Miami Herald,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Killjoy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/killjoy. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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