mien
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of mien
1505–15; probably aphetic variant of obsolete demean bearing, demean 2; spelled with -ie- to distinguish it from mean 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.
Squinting in the morning sun, she had bat ears, a downturned mouth and the mien of a pissed-off mother-in-law.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025
Russell’s powerful, at times operatic, vocals and energetic stage presence proved the perfect foil for Ron’s distinctly quirky mien and adroit facility with words and keys.
From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2025
Instead, the carefully prepared Cohen was subdued and succinct, admitting his lies and misdeeds in service of Donald Trump with a sorrowful mien.
From Salon • May 15, 2024
People often smile at McCall, perhaps drawn to his looks, his quiet mien and the restrained intensity of his physicality, as if he were holding back a great and terrifying force.
From New York Times • Aug. 31, 2023
He tried to maintain his usual breezy mien, but it often cracked, producing outbursts of temper over even minor problems.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
