as in frown
a twisting of the facial features in disgust or disapproval
a moue of distaste at the display of bad manners
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Recent Examples of moue
In her trademark cat-eye glasses, with her bitter-lemon moue, Hoffman, as Moth, is comedy just standing there; Harada, as Mustardseed, a warmth machine.
—
New York Times, 24 Oct. 2021
Not just any moue, either, but a supermoue—a whole cultural attitude distilled into a single boffff.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2020
New York Times, 24 Oct. 2021
Not just any moue, either, but a supermoue—a whole cultural attitude distilled into a single boffff.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moue
Noun
-
Not a quiver in his lips, yet his frown growing.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
3 Dec. 2025
-
My best friend Russell is an acupuncturist, and seemed like the perfect person to place my tape, slapping it on my frown lines, crow’s-feet, and nasolabial folds.—
Lena Dunham,
Vogue,
19 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
In the painting, the skeleton is detailed with firecrackers, flowers on its ribs and a smiling grimace — a detail inspired by a cardboard skeleton Kahlo actually kept in the canopy of her own bed.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Will, in response, contorts his entire face into a terrible grimace.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Laura Dern’s scowl is one of the great wonders of American movies.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
12 Dec. 2025
-
As Martha, Close wears all-black outfits and a rigid scowl.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
19 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Baby and Kids' Toys Babies put everything in their mouths, and the dishwasher is a perfect way to keep teething rings and pacifiers clean.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Mistora, the mysterious cocktail bar that opened last year in Atlanta’s Piedmont Heights neighborhood, put a bad taste in my mouth before the first dish even touched my table.—
Henri Hollis,
AJC.com,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
To truly copy Drescher’s look, pair the lip balm with Laura Geller’s Modern Classic Lip Liner in Ritzy Red to define your pout and up the ante on the color.—
Clara McMahon,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
-
The squalane superstar makes pouts smoother, shinier, and plumper over time, which are all desirable adjectives in context of being as camera-ready as ever.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Moue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moue. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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