as in to frown
to distort one's face
playgoers grimaced at the actor's terrible attempt at a French accent
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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 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
-
In the United States, doing significant work a rental might be frowned upon.—
Thea Duncan Prando,
CNBC,
17 May 2025
-
Mook continued to openly frown at Gaitok’s strong moral compass, valid worries, and vulnerabilities.—
Jodi Guglielmi,
Rolling Stone,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
And only after stomping around for almost two full minutes did Roberts finally retreat, trudging back to the clubhouse with a scowl on his face.—
Jack Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2025
-
The rout evened this three-game series and added a laugher to a rivalry usually played with scowls and gritted teeth.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
11 June 2025
Verb
-
Far too often, business leaders get caught staring at the wrong gauges—hyper-focused on vanity metrics, internal politics or the crisis of the week.—
Ryan Kunkel,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
-
Captured in the early morning, the video shows the woman entering her kitchen to find her partner staring at a grey cat, which is nonchalantly eating from a bowl on the floor.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 June 2025
Noun
-
Right as Elio opens his mouth to respond, the scene cuts, and the credits return.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
20 June 2025
-
Agnes has a gawky, floppy-haired beauty, a gently appraising stare, quizzically arching eyebrows, and a tendency to listen with her mouth half open, as if in anticipation of a punch line that will take her, and us, by surprise.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
20 June 2025
Verb
-
Both were sneered at by middle-class reviewers and adored by the public.—
Graham Robb,
The Atlantic,
9 June 2025
-
Written with the sneering disaffection of an ex-believer, the hundred-and-twenty-thousand-word letter argued that egalitarianism, far from improving the world, was actually responsible for most of its ills.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
2 June 2025
Noun
-
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
-
Modern thinkers stopped using these concepts altogether except in quotation marks, with a wink, a smirk, and a glance backward toward the unscientific past.—
Isaac Bashevis Singer,
Harpers Magazine,
26 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grimace.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grimace. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share