as in to frown
to distort one's face
playgoers grimaced at the actor's terrible attempt at a French accent
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in scowl
a twisting of the facial features in disgust or disapproval
he made a grimace when he tasted the medicine
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of grimace
Leah Dolan, CNN, 28 Jan. 2025
Muscles bulging and soaked in sweat, his face is etched in a grimace of extreme exertion.
—Sarah Shephard, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025
Forgetting this city was about 60% Yuppy Town, three distressed grimaces and one sly smile appeared.
—Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 1 Jan. 2025
There’s a fine line between a grin and a grimace.
—Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for grimace
Noun
Where there was once a wistful Mona Lisa-style facial expression — lips parted enough to suggest a smile or a grimace, depending on perspective — now there is no room for interpretation.
—Leah Dolan, CNN, 28 Jan. 2025
Muscles bulging and soaked in sweat, his face is etched in a grimace of extreme exertion.
—Sarah Shephard, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025
Forgetting this city was about 60% Yuppy Town, three distressed grimaces and one sly smile appeared.
—Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 1 Jan. 2025
There’s a fine line between a grin and a grimace.
—Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for grimace
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grimace
Verb
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His punitive overreaction to a student caught shoplifting in a college cafeteria is frowned upon, particularly because Ed is no longer the campus security chief.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
25 Apr. 2025
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Traditionally, these two types of travel have been kept entirely separate, and it has been frowned upon to mix one with the other.—
Egor Karpovich,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In body and scowl, Paquita radiated like the Disney villain Ursula — a character also inspired by a drag queen, famed actor and performer Divine — but in spirit and heart was far from the sea-dwelling witch who stole an innocent mermaid’s voice.—
Alex Zaragoza,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Feb. 2025
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A little over an hour later, Zalatoris walked out of the scoring building with a tight scowl.—
Brody Miller,
The Athletic,
16 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The goal was to execute highly choreographed, ultra-precise movements, all while staring directly at the audience.—
Andrew Lampert,
Artforum,
1 May 2025
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At school the next day, he was treated as an art piece, in which his classmates stopped and stared.—
Akili King,
Essence,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
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His clothes were dirty, presumably from being thrown to the ground, and his mouth was covered in blood.—
Jack Armstrong,
USA Today,
2 May 2025
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His words came out of his mouth and appeared to go in separate ways.—
Chris Lamb,
The Conversation,
2 May 2025
Verb
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Wesley Snipes is the pinnacle of undead cool as the titular daywalker, with Stephen Dorff as his perfect sneering foil.—
Jordan Crucchiola,
Vulture,
26 Apr. 2025
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Joseph Stalin once sneered about the might of the Vatican.—
Howard Chua-Eoan,
Mercury News,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In group settings, Edelman was good for a clip on the local news, making a wry joke about his own passing abilities, the opposing team or Brady with a smirk on his face.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
6 May 2025
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Everyone has always wondered what that smirk was all about from day one.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grimace.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grimace. Accessed 14 May. 2025.
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