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Mirth vs Smile - What's the difference?

mirth | smile |

As nouns the difference between mirth and smile

is that mirth is the emotion usually following humour and accompanied by laughter; merriment; jollity; gaiety while smile is a facial expression comprised by flexing the muscles of both ends of one's mouth, often showing the front teeth, without vocalisation, and in humans is a common involuntary or voluntary expression of happiness, pleasure, amusement or anxiety.

As a verb smile is

(ambitransitive) to have (a smile) on one's face.

mirth

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • The emotion usually following humour and accompanied by laughter; merriment; jollity; gaiety.
  • * 1883 ,
  • And he began to laugh again, and that so heartily, that, though I did not see the joke as he did, I was again obliged to join him in his mirth.
  • *, title=The Mirror and the Lamp
  • , chapter=2 citation , passage=She was a fat, round little woman, richly apparelled in velvet and lace, […]; and the way she laughed, cackling like a hen, the way she talked to the waiters and the maid, […]—all these unexpected phenomena impelled one to hysterical mirth , and made one class her with such immortally ludicrous types as Ally Sloper, the Widow Twankey, or Miss Moucher.}}
  • * 1912 , :
  • Their eyes met and they began to laugh. They laughed as children do when they cannot contain themselves, and can not explain the cause of their mirth to grown people, but share it perfectly together.
  • That which causes merriment.
  • * 1922 ,
  • Phantasmal mirth , folded away: muskperfumed.

    Synonyms

    * (emotion) delight, glee, hilarity, jollity

    Antonyms

    * (emotion) sadness, gloom

    Derived terms

    * mirthful * mirthfulness * mirthless * mirthlessly * mirthlessness

    smile

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A facial expression comprised by flexing the muscles of both ends of one's mouth, often showing the front teeth, without vocalisation, and in humans is a common involuntary or voluntary expression of happiness, pleasure, amusement or anxiety.
  • :
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=5 , passage=Then came a maid with hand-bag and shawls, and after her a tall young lady.
  • *
  • *:Captain Edward Carlisle, soldier as he was, martinet as he was, felt a curious sensation of helplessness seize upon him as he met her steady gaze, her alluring smile? ; he could not tell what this prisoner might do.
  • Synonyms

    * See also

    Derived terms

    * archaic smile * besmile * Chelsea smile * Glasgow smile * smileless * smilet * smiley * vertical smile

    Verb

    (smil)
  • (ambitransitive) To have (a smile) on one's face.
  • * , chapter=7
  • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=“[…] This is Mr. Churchill, who, as you are aware, is good enough to come to us for his diaconate, and, as we hope, for much longer; and being a gentleman of independent means, he declines to take any payment.” Saying this Walden rubbed his hands together and smiled contentedly.}}
  • To express by smiling.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=2 , passage=I had occasion […] to make a somewhat long business trip to Chicago, and on my return […] I found Farrar awaiting me in the railway station. He smiled his wonted fraction by way of greeting, […], and finally leading me to his buggy, turned and drove out of town. I was completely mystified at such an unusual proceeding.}}
  • To express amusement, pleasure, or love and kindness.
  • * Byron
  • When last I saw thy young blue eyes, they smiled .
  • To look cheerful and joyous; to have an appearance suited to excite joy.
  • The sun smiled down from a clear summer sky.
  • * Alexander Pope
  • The desert smiled , / And paradise was opened in the wild.
  • To be propitious or favourable; to countenance.
  • The gods smiled on his labours.

    Derived terms

    * smiler

    Statistics

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    Anagrams

    * 1000 English basic words ----