Emoji dictionary

🤔 Thinking Face emoji

[thing-king feys ih-moh-jee]

What does   Thinking Face emoji mean?

The thinking face emoji can be used to reference a question or an idea. It also has a rhetorical use as a way to passive aggressively doubt someone or something.

Related words

😕 Confused Face emoji, 💡 Electric Light Bulb emoji, 👶 Baby emoji, 👿 Angry Face With Horns emoji, 🤠 Face with Cowboy Hat emoji

Where does 🤔 Thinking Face emoji come from?

Emoji Island

The thinking face was added to the Unicode emoji set in 2015. It has widely been used as the emoji equivalent of “hmm” in any and all contexts that this might be used, from a literal thinking sound to a more abstract expression of skepticism.

Examples of 🤔 Thinking Face emoji

If your 'friends' only support you when they see you doing good, are they really your friends?  - thinking face emoji
@tgtracks, March, 2017
I don't think his album is that hot tho it's just average  - thinking face emoji
@mjxmt, March, 2017
I don't recall being like that at that age.  - thinking face emoji
@j0weezy, March, 2017
SEE MORE EXAMPLES

Who uses 🤔 Thinking Face emoji?

Sometimes the thinking face emoji is used literally to append questions, and this shows the writer is contemplating an answer. In these cases, it is often paired with a thought balloon, or a light bulb. These questions often call for answers, and are statements of either confusion or consideration.

Other times, the thinking face emoji is used to cast doubt (though not necessarily shade) on a person or idea. Here, the thinking face emoji is more sarcastic in use. Soon after the thinking face emoji’s introduction, New York magazine’s Max Read explained it as conveying a “furrowed brow,” an “alarmed murmur,” or “concerned skepticism.” In these cases, it usually follows a statement or rhetorical question, adding a nuanced tone of doubt or passive aggression to the comment.

Sometimes the thinking face emoji is used as a stand-alone response to convey skepticism. In this way, even previously neutral statements can be altered by the thinking face emoji.

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Note

This is not meant to be a formal definition of 🤔 Thinking Face emoji like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of 🤔 Thinking Face emoji that will help our users expand their word mastery.