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countenance
[ koun-tn-uhns ]
noun
- appearance, especially the look or expression of the face:
a sad countenance.
- the face; visage.
- calm facial expression; composure.
- approval or favor; encouragement; moral support.
- Obsolete. bearing; behavior.
verb (used with object)
- to permit or tolerate:
You should not have countenanced his rudeness.
- to approve, support, or encourage.
countenance
/ ˈkaʊntɪnəns /
noun
- the face, esp when considered as expressing a person's character or mood
a pleasant countenance
- support or encouragement; sanction
- composure; self-control (esp in the phrases keep or lose one's countenance; out of countenance )
verb
- to support or encourage; sanction
- to tolerate; endure
Derived Forms
- ˈcountenancer, noun
Other Words From
- counte·nancer noun
- un·counte·nanced adjective
- under·counte·nance noun
Word History and Origins
Origin of countenance1
Word History and Origins
Origin of countenance1
Idioms and Phrases
- out of countenance, visibly disconcerted; abashed:
He was somewhat out of countenance at the prospect of an apology.
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
Standing centerstage is Douglass with a serious but handsome countenance, that distinctive side part, dark coat and vest.
Daisey’s one-night-only show was an account of a year of living pandemically, recounted entertainingly in his signature countenance of enlightened outrage.
FIFA, not an organization to walk away from money, would scarcely countenance a situation where the money walks away from it.
That kind of smart person cannot countenance the idea of obscurity as a fate.
He dropped the toilet lid with a slam, trying to hide his disdain behind a professional countenance.
The larger of the two government parties, Fine Gael, has said it will not countenance legal abortion in Ireland.
His opponent in the American election, Mitt Romney, has at times seemed more willing to countenance a unilateral Israeli strike.
At the mention of the Merrill Horse, Poindexter's countenance took on a demoniac expression.
Which latter circumstance he begged Mr. Perker to note, with a glowing countenance and many marks of indignation.
A smile of beatitude spread over his enormous countenance during the process.
The beauty of a woman cheereth the countenance of her husband, and a man desireth nothing more.
Wharton uttered this with a peculiar force of voice, and aweful expression in his countenance.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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