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
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of grimace
Jason Parham, WIRED, 28 Aug. 2023
Before the new horror sequel Smile 2 scares its way into theaters, people sporting haunting grimaces are popping up at Major League Baseball games to seemingly promote the film.
—Tommy McArdle, People.com, 15 Oct. 2024
At the last moment, there was a grimace of pain on his face.
—Sarah A. Topol, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2024
McVay had no update about the specifics of the injury, but Kupp exited the locker room with a forlorn grimace and a knee-high protective boot on his left foot and ankle.
—Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for grimace 
Noun
His grimace is absolute aggression—all venom and intimidation.
—Jason Parham, WIRED, 28 Aug. 2023
Before the new horror sequel Smile 2 scares its way into theaters, people sporting haunting grimaces are popping up at Major League Baseball games to seemingly promote the film.
—Tommy McArdle, People.com, 15 Oct. 2024
At the last moment, there was a grimace of pain on his face.
—Sarah A. Topol, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2024
McVay had no update about the specifics of the injury, but Kupp exited the locker room with a forlorn grimace and a knee-high protective boot on his left foot and ankle.
—Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for grimace
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grimace
Verb
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While Blanche was speaking, Trump was mostly frowning, and looking off camera.Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2025
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In addition, there were also prohibitions: listening to rock and roll music was frowned upon, and for having long hair you could be imprisoned.Sigal Ratner-Arias, Billboard, 19 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The deep line at the bridge of his nose, caused by his permanent scowl, was erased.Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Jan. 2025
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His victory was greeted as a new era of good government in Washington — the Carter smile a contrast to the scowl of Nixon.Ted Johnson, Deadline, 29 Dec. 2024
Verb
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So is seemingly everyone else — except Edward, left to stare into the middle distance and wonder what the hell is going on.Chris Vognar, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2025
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Jair Horton stared blankly into the void in front of him.Sam Blum, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
Noun
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But sarcasm can also derail a conversation and leave a bad taste in people’s mouths.Anne Sugar, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
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This is a man who once watched one of his fake teeth fly out of his mouth during a team meeting, bent down, picked it up and kept talking.Zak Keefer, The Athletic, 15 Jan. 2025
Verb
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This sneering put-down is even more bizarre than the swipe at Carter’s phantom operatic output.Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
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These lions are white, aggressive, and led by Kiros (Mads Mikkelsen, instantly entering the canon of sneering Disney villains).David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Alexander said with a smirk during the postgame news conference.Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
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It is dipped in Grinch-green icing with a frosting smirk, tuft of hair and the classic yellow eyes.Sabrina Weiss, People.com, 25 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near grimace
Cite this Entry
“Grimace.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grimace. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
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