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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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countenancesimple
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countenancessimple
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have countenancedperfect
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has countenancedperfect
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am countenancingprogressive
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are countenancingprogressive
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is countenancingprogressive
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have been countenancingperfect progressive
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has been countenancingperfect progressive
Past
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countenancedsimple
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had countenancedperfect
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was countenancingprogressive
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were countenancingprogressive
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had been countenancingperfect progressive
Future
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.
McVay had spent the previous availability explaining the reason for his somber and dour countenance during an awkward news conference the night before.
From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2026
But despite soundtracking 128 episodes worth of hormonal melodrama, Cole’s song most immediately evokes one image: the devilishly handsome, All-American countenance of the show’s star, James Van Der Beek.
From Salon • Feb. 15, 2026
In Kyiv, Olena Andriyeva, a 64-year-old pensioner, said she would be prepared to countenance the loss of her native city of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, occupied by Russia since 2014.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 25, 2025
He’s 43, immaculately dressed and groomed and has the countenance of a high school counselor.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 3, 2025
Nancy, a clothes-conscious girl with a film-star figure, a bespectacled countenance, and a coy, tiptoe way of walking, crossed the lawn and pressed the frontdoor bell.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
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.
