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
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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If your health care provider and/or hospital frown upon it, find one that does not.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2025
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Meanwhile, loud prints and bright colors are frowned upon — something tournament organizers addressed with Jason Day in 2024.—
Samantha Stutsman,
People.com,
12 Apr. 2025
Noun
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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
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Dave comes off like a human scowl, and requires little of Liu besides completely tamping down any sense of natural charisma the Shang-Chi star has.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The Browns are staring at a training camp competition between 40-year-old Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, who flamed out as the Steelers’ starter in just two seasons.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2025
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The image, which is one of a set of lowrider photographs acquired by the Smithsonian, is dominated by the driver of the car, who rests her elbow on the edge of the open window and stares straight at us with a confidence that is at once challenging and completely relaxed.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The health of the person In adults, signs of poisoning can include pins and needles sensations (typically in your hands, feet, and around your mouth); loss of coordination; loss of peripheral vision; speech, hearing, and walking impairments; and muscle weakness, according to the EPA.—
Caroline Tien,
SELF,
22 Apr. 2025
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Weinstein often looked haggard and out of it — unshaven, mouth ajar, eyes bleary.—
Phoebe Eaton,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Apr. 2025
Verb
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And as first reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Paapa Essiedu (Black Mirror) will take on the role of the sneering Potions Professor Severus Snape.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Apr. 2025
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Yet everything remains the same for Delia whose romantic fantasies have given way to an embrace of her roles as dutiful wife and loving mother despite the sneering condescension and outright physical abuse at the hands of her strutting petty tyrant husband Ivano (Valerio Mastandrea).—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Harrison Ford forged an archetype: the skeptical rogue, a smirk king, He Who Shot First.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
22 Apr. 2025
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Little things, like the close-ups of Moss’s face with her little smirk, used so frequently as to lose all meaning, began to irritate me.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
11 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grimace.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grimace. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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