countenance
noun · verb
Simple meaning
The appearance conveyed by a person's face.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kowntuhnuhnsSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkaʊntənəns
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The appearance conveyed by a person's face
Appearance, especially the features and expression of the face.
The human face (`kisser' and `smiler' and `mug' are informal terms for `face' and `phiz' is British)
Calm facial expression, composure, self-control.
Favour; support; encouragement.
verb
transitive
To tolerate, support, sanction, patronise or approve of something.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The appearance conveyed by a person's face
Used this way, countenance is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use countenance
- “A pleasant countenance.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
The art or pseudoscience of deducing the predominant temper and other characteristic qualities of the mind from the….
Countenance; one's face.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
- complexionnoun
- beardnoun
- foreheadnoun
- expressionnoun
- nosenoun
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Antonyms
Sense: to tolerate or support or sanction or patronise
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