countenance
Americannoun
-
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)
-
to permit or tolerate.
You should not have countenanced his rudeness.
-
to approve, support, or encourage.
idioms
noun
-
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
-
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
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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:
That financial discipline may have consequences - while the feeling was Elliot Anderson would have joined Manchester City anyway, United did not countenance paying the £116m Nottingham Forest eventually sold him for.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 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
There was no way Ratcliffe would countenance extending that at a time when he is determined to cut costs and bring the wage bill down.
From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2026
The aim, colleges and advisers explain, is to probe how well students can countenance other viewpoints.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 25, 2025
She now presented this gracious and modest countenance to Zooey.
From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger
He was also the only barefaced person in a sea of masked countenances.
From Salon ● Apr. 30, 2020
Every person faces the same way, their countenances drawn and unsmiling, a picture of dreary conformity.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 9, 2018
A dying figure, Agni, is surrounded by the countenances of mythic beings, including Mozart, Lewis Carroll, a witch, the Queen of the Night, Copernicus, Tristan and Isolde.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2016
It has something to do with the ambiguous gray of their coats, the deadpan dignity of their countenances, those skeptically raised eyebrows.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 29, 2015
At the severity of their countenances, I felt a chill.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
I’ve countenanced the strong plots because these books are so good.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
“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
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
The discovery that leading members of the Cabinet had been countenancing methods as reprehensible as those of the worst of their opponents, caused an uproar.
From A History of the Third French Republic by Wright, C. H. C. (Charles Henry Conrad)
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.
