as in grimace
a twisting of the facial features in disgust or disapproval
a moue of distaste at the display of bad manners
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Recent Examples of moue
In her trademark cat-eye glasses, with her bitter-lemon moue, Hoffman, as Moth, is comedy just standing there; Harada, as Mustardseed, a warmth machine.
—
New York Times, 24 Oct. 2021
Not just any moue, either, but a supermoue—a whole cultural attitude distilled into a single boffff.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2020
New York Times, 24 Oct. 2021
Not just any moue, either, but a supermoue—a whole cultural attitude distilled into a single boffff.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moue
Noun
-
Thomas turned around and squeezed DeChambeau’s leg with anxiety, his face in a nervous grimace.—
Brody Miller,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Per the season's sneak peek, this year's voyage pairs steamy trysts among the crew with some grimace-worthy incidents, from jellyfish sightings and jet ski accidents (and what looks to be a lone charter guest floating out to sea on a raft).—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Children can quickly detect their parent’s stress by the tone in their voice or the expression on their face, such as a furrowed brow or a scowl.—
Juli Fraga,
Time,
23 Sep. 2025
-
And then there’s the U.S. Army officer who succeeds in apprehending Perfidia: Col. Steven J. Lockjaw, played in a graying military fade, with some fur on top and a martinet scowl, by Sean Penn.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
There's room for laughs amid the tears and smiles amid the frowns.—
David Oliver,
USA Today,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Over the course of an hour, a virtuosic guitarist, a singer, and three dancers performed a program of mournful music and percussive dance, their faces set in serious frowns—an integral part of the performance.—
Fiona Mozley,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In an intimate atmosphere, seated at long, communal tables, nestled tightly with industry professionals, guests were treated to a dinner that was melt-in-your-mouth good.—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Essence,
8 Oct. 2025
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Transform toilet paper rolls into this monster mobile from Happy Hooligans by painting or coloring the tubes and adding on googly eyes, squiggly pipe-cleaner arms, and toothy construction-paper mouths.—
Ellen Sturm Niz,
Parents,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Before this high achiever entered La Mer’s roster of offerings, its lip category consisted only of The Lip Balm, The Lip Polish, and The Lip Volumizer — all geared towards nourishing, restoring, and, in case of the latter, treating pouts to buildable color.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
6 Oct. 2025
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Shop the Laneige lip mask that editors and celebrities both use, plus the Covergirl lip gloss that plumped up Kelsea Ballerini’s pout during a PEOPLE photoshoot.—
Alyssa Grabinski,
PEOPLE,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Moue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moue. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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