long face

American  

noun

1. an unhappy or gloomy expression.

   He's been walking around with a long face ever since he failed the examination.

---

long face British  

noun

1. a disappointed, solemn, or miserable facial expression

---

long face Idioms  

1. A facial expression showing sadness or disappointment, as in Greg's long face was a clear indication of his feelings. [Late 1700s]

---

Other Word Forms

• long-faced
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of long face

First recorded in 1780–90

Example Sentences

Family members often referred to him as “El Viejito,” for his long face and an emotional literacy well beyond his years.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 15, 2025

In 1998, an aspiring comedian named Tomoaki Hamatsu — nicknamed Nasubi, the Japanese word for eggplant, because of his long face — won the opportunity to compete on an extreme kind of game show.

From New York Times • May 1, 2024

When I was older, someone said, "You were born with that long face. Everyone who has a long face, they look miserable," So people can project things onto you.

From Salon • Jul. 6, 2023

So, you may ask, why the long face?

From Washington Post • Apr. 6, 2023

She was thin like her son, with a long face and the same dark circles under her eyes.

From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri