Kubrick stare

noun

The act of looking at the viewer with head tilted downward and eyes peering upward from beneath the eyebrows.

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Meanings

nounKubrick stare (plural Kubrick stares)

plural Kubrick stares

  1. The act of looking at the viewer with head tilted downward and eyes peering upward from beneath the eyebrows.

    […] Vincent D'Onofrio goes off the deep end with a malevolent Kubrick stare.

    2017 June 8, Marty Fugate, “'The Remnant' offers a cure for Vietnam War amnesia”, in Arts + Entertainment, page 9
    2 more examples

    Analu Cruze-Josephides, librarian and actor exemplifies his rendition of the “Kubrick stare,” a technique synonymous with villainous characters he plays in films.

    2017, Don Perez, "Librarian of horror", The Union (El Camino College), 18 May 2017, page 3 (image caption)

    Ramsay's work is as chilling as it is technically flawless. She's an avid practitioner of the Kubrick Stare […]

    2018 April 26, Chris McCoy, “The Professional”, in Memphis Flyer, page 34

Origin

Named for its frequent use in the films of director Stanley Kubrick.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Kubrick stare. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kubrick%20stare

MLA

“Kubrick stare.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kubrick%20stare. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Kubrick stare,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kubrick%20stare.

Source: Kubrick stare on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.