2 meanings
(click/touch triangles for details)
1 —as in:
a pleasant countenance
Definition
facial expression; or face; or composure or manner- She has a pleasant countenance.
countenance = facial expression; or face
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- Her countenance grew stern.
- the heart of man is written upon his countenanceHenry Wadsworth Longfellow
- The countenance is the portrait of the soul, and the eyes mark its intentions.Marcus Tullius Cicero
- both the frown and the smile passed successively over his countenance.Nathaniel Hawthorne -- The House of the Seven Gables
- Miss Maudie answered: "A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance!"Harper Lee -- To Kill a Mockingbird
- She had a stern countenance and was critical-looking.Amy Tan -- The Bonesetter's Daughter
- One word or look from you ... and I'll tear the countenance from the front of your head.Frank McCourt -- Angela's Ashes
- I raised my eyes to look at my father's face leaning over mine, to try to discover a smile or something resembling one upon the aged, dried-up countenance.Elie Wiesel -- Night
- He looked at me with a confused expression on his countenance and...Jim Stovall -- The Ultimate Gift
countenance = facial expression
countenance = face or facial expression
countenance = facial expression
countenance = facial expression
countenance = face or facial expression
countenance = face
countenance = face
2 —as in:
giving countenance
Definition
to tolerate, approve, or show favor or support- We will not countenance torture.
countenance = to tolerate or approve
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- They countenance and support terrorism.
- I shall certainly not do anything to give the impression that I countenance your behaviour.Edith Wharton -- The House of Mirth
- He disagreed with Reb Saunders, yes, but he would countenance no slander against his name or his position.Chaim Potok -- The Chosen
- But no Court of Justice could countenance such a view.Alan Paton -- Cry, the Beloved Country
- But expect no help nor countenance from me.C.S. Lewis -- The Horse and His Boy
- This was extravagant and not to be countenanced.John Steinbeck -- The Pearl
- Sethe's crime was staggering and her pride outstripped even that; but she could not countenance the possibility of sin moving on in the house, unleashed and sassy.Toni Morrison -- Beloved
- She was preparing for her ninth lying-in; and after bewailing the circumstance, and imploring their countenance as sponsors to the expected child, she could not conceal how important she felt they might be to the future maintenance of the eight already in being.Jane Austen -- Mansfield Park
- I have never countenanced an effort ... to disturb the arrangement as originally made, by which various States came into the Union.Henry David Thoreau -- Resistance to Civil Government
countenance = show favor for or support
countenance = approve
countenance = tolerate, or show favor or support
countenance = tolerate or approve
countenance = tolerance, approval, or support
countenanced = tolerated
countenance = tolerate or approve
countenance = support
countenanced = approved or shown favor for
Less commonly:
More rarely, in addition to facial expression, countenance can refer to one's posture and other visible features.