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
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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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Doctors stare at X-ray transparencies and frown, just a little.—
Paul A. Thompson,
Pitchfork,
13 May 2025
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His stat sheet — 7 of 22 from the floor for 18 points in the Thunder’s Game 3 loss — frowned.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
10 May 2025
Noun
-
Rossini has replaced disdain with dedication and swapped out scowls for smiles.—
Jon Wilner,
Mercury News,
22 May 2025
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That whoop-ass machine is played with a fierce scowl by MMA fighter Michelle Waterson.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Among other things, Biden appeared to repeatedly lose his train of thought, made halting statements and stared blankly into the audience.—
Sonam Sheth,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 May 2025
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The mirrors reflecting the best poems are slightly warped so that reading feels like staring into rippling passages.—
Terrance Hayes,
New Yorker,
19 May 2025
Noun
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Blashill said as a smile lifted a corner of his mouth.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2025
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And finally, a strong inner foil seal placed over the mouth of the bottle.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
Verb
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Often sneered at and dismissed early in his career due to his good looks, Hartnett takes over this action flight manual and, well, soars to new heights.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
7 May 2025
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While another top 10 smash on the most competitive songs list in America is certainly nothing to sneer at, some may have expected the collaboration to launch even higher, given the significant excitement surrounding its release.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
5 May 2025
Noun
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Aimee Lou Wood, who played Chelsea, couldn’t believe the attention on her toothy smirk.—
Brittany Talarico,
People.com,
21 Apr. 2025
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In group settings, Edelman was good for a clip on the local news, making a wry joke about his own passing abilities, the opposing team or Brady with a smirk on his face.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
6 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grimace.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grimace. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
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