demeanour

British

/ dɪˈmiːnə /

noun

the way a person behaves towards others; conduct
bearing, appearance, or mien

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of demeanour

C15: see _demean ²

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.

But he shed the glasses after laser eye surgery and adopted a less earnest demeanour that saw him impress in his ubiquitous media appearances during the election campaign.

From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026

Frank's honesty, upbeat demeanour and results meant he was idolised at Brentford.

From BBC • Feb. 11, 2026

Two of those goals were penalties, with Palmer displaying his typically ice-cool demeanour to send the goalkeeper the wrong way both times.

From BBC • Feb. 7, 2026

In addition to that, the American Jessica Pegula, beaten by Rybakina in the semi-finals, said it was her icy demeanour which made her so formidable.

From Barron's • Jan. 30, 2026

I found the Blue Boar in possession of the intelligence, and I found that it made a great change in the Boar’s demeanour.

From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023