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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of grimace
science.org, 13 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for grimace
Noun
By cross-referencing these expressions against the grimace scales researchers have already created, the AI can look for telltale signs of pain or distress.
—science.org, 13 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for grimace
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grimace
Verb
-
And, in most instances, these days the desperate clamor to sole star-shining is often frowned upon and decidedly outdated.—
Paige Francis,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
-
But a lot of people frown on this behavior, viewing it as cutting in line.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
8 July 2025
Noun
-
Serve up in a stemmed glass, and garnish with a scowl, or perhaps a war story.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
11 July 2025
-
Balthazar, played in a hipster fade and with a puppy-dog scowl by Jaeden Martell, is a New York rich kid with a life coach and a divorced mother (Jennifer Ehle) who’s too busy throwing political cocktail parties to pay him much attention.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
10 June 2025
Verb
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It’s described as a long, blank and expressionless stare in a variety of social situations.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
-
Vortex Media has all rights in Canada to the film staring Maren Heary (She Said), Jim Kaplan (The Holdovers), Karsen Liotta (Black Bird), Dominic Bogart (Fear The Walking Dead), Emily Hall (Wrong Numbers) and Tenley Kellogg.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
14 July 2025
Noun
-
The kind guard in the lobby and my mother’s terrible, open mouth.—
Rebecca Chace
July 14,
Literary Hub,
14 July 2025
-
Vásquez Lasso hit Montano in the mouth area, and Montano shot the officer in the head, arm and leg as children and others in a nearby playground took cover.—
Madeline Buckley,
Chicago Tribune,
14 July 2025
Verb
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Second, the Jerries in Rommel’s Afrika Korps were honorable adversaries, while those in the S.S. were murderous, sneering bastards who cried Achtung Schweinhund!—
Alexander Rose,
Air Mail,
28 June 2025
-
There were a few England-only watchers who sneered at MLS.—
Josh Gross,
Oc Register,
15 June 2025
Noun
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The Plague is exquisitely cast, from the Nickelodeon star smirk of ringleader Jake (Kayo Martin) to his cohen target Eli (Kenny Rasmussen), a genuine oddball.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
27 May 2025
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But watching a group of roughnecks on a rig in grubby overalls moving huge, long steel pipes, Dugan's smile begins to fade to a smirk.—
Kirk Siegler,
NPR,
24 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grimace.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grimace. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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