countenance
Americannoun
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countenances
plural
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appearance, especially the look or expression of the face.
a sad countenance.
-
the face; visage.
-
calm facial expression; composure.
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approval or favor; encouragement; moral support.
-
Obsolete. bearing; behavior.
verb (used with object)
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countenances,
present (3rd person singular)
-
countenanced,
past participle, past
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countenancing
present participle
-
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
-
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
Synonym Usage
See face.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
countenancesimple
-
countenancessimple
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have countenancedperfect
-
has countenancedperfect
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am countenancingprogressive
-
are countenancingprogressive
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is countenancingprogressive
-
have been countenancingperfect progressive
-
has been countenancingperfect progressive
Past
-
countenancedsimple
-
had countenancedperfect
-
was countenancingprogressive
-
were countenancingprogressive
-
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.
See Examples For:
When he speaks of Likho, he speaks with a tender cadence and dignified countenance, as if he were his own.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Mateta made clear at the time that he saw his long-term future away from Selhurst Park and the club signed Jorgen Strand Larsen from Wolves in a deal worth £48m to countenance his anticipated exit.
From BBC ● May 28, 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
Over time, you can see that he has come to believe that the problems of the country need something more radical than either of the traditional big parties are prepared to countenance.
From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2026
There was a something in her countenance which made him listen with an apprehensive and anxious attention, while she added:
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
The settings do not merely suggest sterility but concentrate the mind on the performers’ fascinating countenances.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Of course, a book that casts countenances as works of art also has an attendant ethics.
From New York Times ● Oct. 20, 2020
Every person faces the same way, their countenances drawn and unsmiling, a picture of dreary conformity.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 9, 2018
His rough-edged, early-modernist style suits their humble clothing and vanquished countenances.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 10, 2016
They were stiff with their long and jolting drive from Whitcross, and chilled with the frosty night air; but their pleasant countenances expanded to the cheerful firelight.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
“Catholics are not extremists,” he said, bristling at any suggestion that he would have countenanced targeting Americans because of the nature of their religious beliefs.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 20, 2023
It understood its sector — venture capitalists and technology start-ups — and made loans that national banks would never have countenanced.
From New York Times ● Apr. 1, 2023
Because it is outrageous that such a wealthy city has countenanced inhuman living conditions like this for years.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 25, 2023
Too stupid or too bold to be countenanced as serious.
From Slate ● Jan. 5, 2021
Despite the ominous tone, and my better instincts, I’d countenanced enough inmate misbehavior and disrespect to feel invigorated by the thought that this is where it all stops.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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.
From Salon ● Apr. 16, 2025
Even this court, though, can hopefully still be shamed from countenancing the worst abuses of power likely to come before them.
From Slate ● May 18, 2023
Even wise, cool heads, such as the French diplomatist Jean-Marie Guéhenno, are seriously countenancing the idea that a no-deal Brexit may be better than prolonging the agony.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 9, 2019
At any rate, Rubio got flak from the right, which accused him of somehow countenancing illegal activity.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 10, 2015
He waited, countenancing her while she climbed the short ladder to the already curtained berth.
From Rimrock Trail by Joseph Allan Dunn
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.
