countenance
Americannoun
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appearance, especially the look or expression of the face.
a sad countenance.
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the face; visage.
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calm facial expression; composure.
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approval or favor; encouragement; moral support.
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Obsolete. bearing; behavior.
verb (used with object)
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to permit or tolerate.
You should not have countenanced his rudeness.
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to approve, support, or encourage.
idioms
noun
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the face, esp when considered as expressing a person's character or mood
a pleasant countenance
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support or encouragement; sanction
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composure; self-control (esp in the phrases keep or lose one's countenance; out of countenance )
verb
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to support or encourage; sanction
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to tolerate; endure
Synonym Usage
See face.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of countenance
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English cuntenaunce “behavior, bearing, self-control,” from Anglo-French cuntena(u)nce, Old French contenance, from Medieval Latin “way of living, demeanor,” from Latin continentia “self-control, restraint”; see continence
Explanation
The noun countenance means the face or its expression. If you're a great poker player, you probably have a calm countenance. Countenance comes from a French word for "behavior," but it has become a fancy term for either the expression of a face or the face itself: "He had a puzzled countenance," or "what a charming countenance!" Countenance can also be a verb meaning to tolerate or approve. If someone does something offensive, tell them, "I'm afraid I can't countenance that."
Vocabulary lists containing countenance
"The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe
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Face It: Selfie Vocab
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"The Raven"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Once upon a time, this aged collective creature, this Knight of the Sad Countenance, was supposed to be our savior, the slayer of the horrible monster.
From Salon • Jul. 25, 2017
One was a proud, polite horse chosen to carry Feodor Chaliapin, chivalric Knight of the Rueful Countenance.
From Time Magazine Archive
Don Quixote, very lean and egotistic and honest and foolish; a veritable Knight of the Woeful Countenance ...
From Time Magazine Archive
Countenance cast down — yet defying Answer — he whispered: “I have never even dwellt inside myself.”
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
A Prince must keep up the Power of his Countenance, which is not the least of his Prerogatives.
From A Character of King Charles the Second by Halifax, George Savile, Marquis of
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.
