countenancing

verb

present participle of countenance
1
as in accepting
to have a favorable opinion of I don't countenance such behavior in children of any age

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tolerating
to put up with (something painful or difficult) countenanced the delays and inconveniences of traveling by air with good grace

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of countenancing On that ground the United States can not properly be put in the position of countenancing a wrong after its commission any more than in that of consenting to it in advance. — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Aug. 2026 The castrato was proud to call himself the boy’s father, never publicly countenancing the reality that this was impossible. — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for countenancing
  1. accepting
  2. tolerating
  3. handling
  4. standing
  5. enduring
  6. taking
  7. sustaining
Verb
  • The Big Ten’s explanation is unlikely to satisfy everyone, even if the MAC released a statement accepting it.
    — Manny Navarro, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Investigators also found Chavez-DeRemer did not report the tickets, valued at approximately $100 a piece, as she was required to do, despite having completed ethics training explaining government policy on accepting gifts.
    — Andrea Hsu, NPR, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of accepting
Verb
  • His comments follow months of settler attacks in the West Bank, including a mosque torching, as Palestinian Americans accuse Israel’s security forces of tolerating extremist violence.
    — Ibrahim Hazboun, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Furthermore, relationships themselves teach basic psychological capacities such as regulating emotions, tolerating disappointment, and negotiating differences—skills which therapy is supposed to cultivate.
    — David H. Rosmarin, Time, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of tolerating
Verb
  • The robot is designed as a general-purpose platform capable of handling a broad range of applications and improving through self-reinforcement from real-world experience.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The only people who seem to, frankly, are the leaders at Western Michigan, the ones with the biggest complaint about this and the ones who seem to be handling it the most maturely.
    — Will Leitch, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of handling
Verb
  • OpenAI says the model has already contributed to solving difficult, long-standing mathematical problems.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026
  • From above, standing at the viewpoint, graffiti is visible on the roof.
    — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of standing
Verb
  • But by halftime, the image escaped those few inches as the Pride of the Southland Band gave Parton’s most enduring symbol a much larger stage.
    — Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • But the love enduring at their center feels so profoundly misguided that even this extravagant tribute, arriving more than 150 years later, cannot entirely defend it.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of enduring
Verb
  • After taking a short corner and getting the ball back, Savio turned down a chance to cross and chose to chop instead.
    — Stuart James, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The Moon opposes intense Pluto, exposing a routine or responsibility that has been taking more out of you than expected.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of taking
Verb
  • Last year at the Venice Film Festival, Italy’s Fondazione Prada officially launched its film fund, aimed at sustaining independent cinema from around the world without any restrictions on theme, genre or language.
    — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Meanwhile, left tackle Rashawn Slater, who missed all of last season after sustaining a knee injury in training camp, was sidelined for much of August because of a flare-up to that same knee.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of sustaining

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countenances
countenancing
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Cite this Entry

“Countenancing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/countenancing. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

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