half-smile

noun

1. a smile that is uncertain or short-lived

Example Sentences

“His eyes were semi-open. And he had this knowing, Mona Lisa-like half-smile. Like he’d died happy. Like Jesus rescued him. The bullet came, he blinked, and he was in heaven.”

From Salon

Only the dark shades he sports and a wry half-smile hint at the performer to come.

From Los Angeles Times

"My family doesn't understand," he said with a half-smile.

From BBC

The Yalie glad-hander with a legendary pained half-smile campaigned heavily against Fine in the days leading up to the special election, even as he knew it was useless.

From Salon

What we do glean comes only from studying Dickinson’s face: Samuel’s probing eyes, his amused half-smile, his hesitance before he dares to order his boss to get on her knees.

From Los Angeles Times