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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
/ ˈ첹ʊԳɪəԲ /
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
Other Word Forms
- countenancer noun
- uncountenanced adjective
- undercountenance noun
- ˈdzܲԳٱԲԳ 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
Dan Bifano is in a hurry, but it’s in his nature to be gracious, so he keeps his countenance serene even though gnarly traffic on the Pacific Coast Highway has made his visitors very late.
It meant that conservatives would never again countenance a lifetime Supreme Court appointment to any ideological wildcard.
“As we just saw, even conservative judges are unlikely to countenance such efforts that fly in the face of basic election law principles,” Stephanopoulos said.
If Holmes’ constant appeal is an easily solvable case, then countenancing the possibility that there may be much more to his life than what Doyle shared isn’t impossible either.
But I was grateful to experience the text through a different voice and 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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