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
While ostensibly preferable to AI girlfriend apps seeking to supplant IRL relationships, an app designed to coach men to get better at talking to women by creating a robot woman who is a total killjoy might actually be even worse.
—
Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 18 Apr. 2024
Nobody wants to be the killjoy that pokes holes in the joke-makers’ stories of themselves.
—Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 June 2023
With all the effort that goes into taking care of your lawn, watching the grass be ruined by your pet’s urine can be a killjoy.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 June 2023
Alas, the gloomy revival by Lincoln Center Theater — complete with a killjoy Aaron Sorkin rewrite — isn’t one of those times.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2023
See all Example Sentences for killjoy 
Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 18 Apr. 2024
Nobody wants to be the killjoy that pokes holes in the joke-makers’ stories of themselves.
—Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 June 2023
With all the effort that goes into taking care of your lawn, watching the grass be ruined by your pet’s urine can be a killjoy.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 June 2023
Alas, the gloomy revival by Lincoln Center Theater — complete with a killjoy Aaron Sorkin rewrite — isn’t one of those times.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2023
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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All one needs is to read the headlines today, 45 years down the road, to see that sometimes cynics have a point.—
George Monastiriakos,
Newsweek,
30 Dec. 2024
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The cynics say the wildfires are the death knell of the film business.—
Todd Heyman,
The Hollywood Reporter,
3 Sep. 2019
Noun
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The reason for the changes, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Friday, was the center's decision to host drag show performances at its venue.—
Savannah Kuchar,
USA TODAY,
15 Feb. 2025
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That’s what was needed — a gay person who wasn’t dying, who was lively and running around doing drag, being funny, being outrageous.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
12 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The man in the chef’s hat bore Meatball, a loud Italian American meatball who calmed hospital patients and veterans through a nest of spaghetti.—
Peter Rubin,
Longreads,
26 Dec. 2024
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Sequences of Elvira starving herself and obsessing over her weight bore the points down like a drill, though the screenplay could do more to explore the lead’s subjectivity and how her self-lacerating pursuit of beauty is becoming infectious to all around her.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Tired of looking like the grinch (can't help the hair).—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
2 Feb. 2025
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The Pompano Beach, Fla. doesn’t play grinch alone; Veeze, Lil Yachty, Rob49, Juvenile, and B.G. also appear on the project.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
27 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Cancers, symbolized by the crab, are notorious for being nurturing, protective, and moody.—
Maya Layne,
Vogue,
14 Feb. 2025
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There’s the obligatory seafood tower ($115), which depending on the season might include shucked oysters, spiny lobster, Santa Barbara uni and succulent chunks of Dungeness crab.—
John Metcalfe,
The Mercury News,
14 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Killjoy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/killjoy. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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