- any of several combinations of symbols used in electronic mail and text messaging to indicate the state of mind of the writer, such as :-) to express happiness
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
e•mo•ti•con
(i mō′ti kon′),USA pronunciation n.
- Computingan abbreviation or icon used on a network, as IMHO for "in my humble opinion'' or:-), a sideways smile face, to indicate amusement.
- blend of, blended emotion and icon 1980–85
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
emoticon /ɪˈməʊtɪˌkɒn/ n
smil•ey
(smī′lē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -eys.
Smi•ley (smī′lē),USA pronunciation n.
smil•ey (smī′lē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -eys.
- Computinga sideways smile face,:-), or similar combination of symbols, as;
-), a winking face, or :-(, a sad face, used to communicate humor, sarcasm, sadness, etc., in an electronic message.Cf. emoticon.
- 1985–90
Smi•ley (smī′lē),USA pronunciation n.
- Biographical Jane, born 1949, U.S. novelist.
smil•ey (smī′lē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -eys.
- Computinga sideways smile face,:-), or similar combination of symbols, as;
-), a winking face, or :-(, a sad face, used to communicate humor, sarcasm, sadness, etc., in an electronic message.Cf. emoticon.
- 1985–90
'emoticon' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):