Emoji Dictionary

😬 Grimacing Face emoji

[grim-uh s-ing feys ih-moh-jee]

May 25, 2018

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What does 😬 Grimacing Face emoji mean?

We’re gonna be honest with you: Even the dictionary can have a hard time putting things into words 😬.

Like with this guy, grimacing face emoji, whose tone is just all over the place. It usually conveys mild discomfort and disapproval, often for humorous effect.

Related words:

• 🤣 rolling on the floor laughing emoji
• 🙃 upside-down face emoji
• ☺ white smiling face emoji
• 🙄 face with rolling eyes emoji
• 😒 unamused emoji

Where does 😬 Grimacing Face emoji come from?

Approved in 2012 under Unicode 6.1, the grimacing face emoji is intended to depict a grimace, a contorted facial expression showing disapproval, pain, or even perverse delight.

Imagine you see an athlete get hurt, a performer bomb on stage, a politician put their foot in their mouth, or someone eat the leftover pizza you were saving for lunch. Cringing in discomfort, you tighten your eyes and jaw and breathe in through teeth: that’s 😬. It’s bad, painful, but not the end of the world.

The major platforms seek to capture the complex grimace with round, flat eyes and clenched teeth—which some people mistake for a toothy grin from a distance.

Since 2015 on the social-messaging app Snapchat, the grimacing face emoji displays when your #1 best friend (the person you send the most snaps to) is #1 best friends with someone else. Oof 😬.

Examples of 😬 Grimacing Face emoji

Who uses 😬 Grimacing Face emoji?

Let’s drill down on some more of the senses of grimacing face emoji. It can be used to show displeasure or dissatisfaction, as if acknowledging a hard truth or experiencing something cringeworthy.

To many fake friends😬

— BRYCE KISSINGER (@KissingerBryce) December 29, 2016

I need to make some serious changes next year😬

— danielle (@daniiellexx) December 29, 2016

I can hide my love for someone for years but hiding my hate…….😬

— ana❁ (@AnaMarkovic_) December 29, 2016

It can express awkwardness.

That awkward moment when someone says they miss you but you don’t necessarily miss them back 😬….

— Ash 💕 (@GxldASHes) May 22, 2018

Or a knowing “oops” or sarcastic “Did I do that?”

My mom still doesn’t know I have a cat.. 😬

— Big Ben (@LondonLooHoo) December 29, 2016

“watch it sassy or the car door won’t be the only thing hitting you”

hahahahahah oops 😅😬😂

— bailey buffington (@baileyshea_20) December 29, 2016

All joking aside, the grimacing face emoji can also portray excited nerves, nagging worries, or mild fears.

This next year is going to be the biggest and most impacting year in my life so far and I’m soooo nervous and excited 😬😊

— Leonie Barber (@barber_leonie) December 29, 2017

And occasionally, the grimacing face emoji is meant to show excitement, happiness, or laughter, often with a hint of “I know I shouldn’t be laughing at this this.”

Let’s fr do it! It’s not a joke!

— Katie Anne💋 (@katie_a_huck) May 22, 2018