Meanings
plural grimaces
- A contorted facial expression, often expressing contempt or pain.
Her face was twisted in a grimace of disgust.
1 more example
I trundle off to bed, eyes brimming, face twisted into a grateful glistening grimace, and awaken the next day wondering what all the fuss was about.
2005 March, Opera News - obsoleteAffectation, pretence.
Charlotte was equally insensible to all his fashionable grimace, and indifferent to his conversation.
1790, Helen Maria Williams, Julia, Routledge, published 2016, page 211 more example
Zeluco considered all this as mere affectation and grimace, and was convinced that she would, in due time, unfold the particular mode in which she wished to be indemnified […].
1789, John Moore, Zeluco, Valancourt, published 2008, page 105
present singular third person grimaces · participle present grimacing · participle past grimaced · past grimaced
- intransitiveTo make grimaces; to distort one's face; to make faces.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbcontort the face to indicate a certain mental or emotional state
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Germanic*grīmô“mask, helmet”
- Frankish*grīma
- Old Frenchgrimace
- Middle Frenchgrimace
- Frenchgrimace
- Englishgrimace
From French grimace, from Middle French grimace, from Old French grimace, grimuche, from grime (“mask”) (with the pejorative suffix -ace, from Latin -āceus), from Frankish *grīma, *grīmō (“mask”), from Proto-Germanic *grīmô (“mask, helmet”). Cognate with Old English grīma (“mask, visor, helmet, spectre, apparition”). More at grime.
More words from French, Middle French, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian гримаса, гримаснича
- гримаса (grimasa)a distortion of the face
- гримаснича (grimasniča)to make grimaces
Catalan ganyota, fer ganyotes
- ganyotaa distortion of the face
- fer ganyotesto make grimaces
Chinese Mandarin 鬼臉 /鬼脸, 怪相
- 鬼臉 /鬼脸 (guǐliǎn)a distortion of the face
- 怪相 (guàixiàng)a distortion of the face
- 扮鬼臉 /扮鬼脸 (bàn guǐliǎn)to make grimaces
Czech šklebit se
- šklebit seto make grimaces
Danish grimasse, grimassere
- grimassea distortion of the face
- grimassereto make grimaces
Dutch grimas
- grimasa distortion of the face
Esperanto grimaco, grimaci
- grimacoa distortion of the face
- grimacito make grimaces
Finnish irvistys, irvistää
- irvistysa distortion of the face
- irvistääto make grimaces
- irvistelläto make grimaces
- virnistelläto make grimaces
French grimace, grimacer
- grimacea distortion of the face
- grimacerto make grimaces
- faire des grimacesto make grimaces
German Grimasse, Grimassen schneiden
- Grimassea distortion of the face
- Grimassen schneidento make grimaces
Greek μορφασμός, μορφάζω
- μορφασμός (morfasmós)a distortion of the face
- μορφάζω (morfázo)to make grimaces
Hungarian grimasz, grimaszokat vág
- grimasza distortion of the face
- grimaszokat vágto make grimaces
Irish strainc, grainc
- strainca distortion of the face
- grainca distortion of the face
- cára distortion of the face
- gramhasa distortion of the face
- strabhasa distortion of the face
- scaimha distortion of the face
Italian smorfia
- smorfiaa distortion of the face
Japanese しかめっ面, 顰める
- しかめっ面 (shikamettsura)a distortion of the face
- 顰める (shikameru)to make grimaces
Latin sanna, surringor
- sannaa distortion of the face
- surringorto make grimaces
Māori whāita, whakamenemene
- whāitato make grimaces
- whakamenemeneto make grimaces
- motekoto make grimaces
- whakamotekoto make grimaces
- whakahameroto make grimaces
- whakatekotekoto make grimaces
- ngerito make grimaces
- whakatoretoreto make grimaces
- whakapīto make grimaces
Norwegian grimase, gjøre grimase
- grimasea distortion of the face
- gjøre grimaseto make grimaces
- lage grimaseto make grimaces
Persian قیافه ی خود را در هم کشیدن, روی ترش کردن
- قیافه ی خود را در هم کشیدنto make grimaces
- روی ترش کردنto make grimaces
Polish grymas
- grymasa distortion of the face
Portuguese careta, esgar
- caretaa distortion of the face
- esgara distortion of the face
- fazer careta/caretasto make grimaces
Romanian grimasă, strâmbătură
- grimasăa distortion of the face
- strâmbăturăa distortion of the face
- strâmbato make grimaces
Russian грима́са, ужи́мка
- грима́са (grimása)a distortion of the face
- ужи́мка (užímka)a distortion of the face
- грима́сничать (grimásničatʹ)to make grimaces
- кривляться (krivljatʹsja)to make grimaces
Spanish mueca, mohín
- muecaa distortion of the face
- mohína distortion of the face
- mohínoa distortion of the face
- regañoa distortion of the face
- hacer gestosto make grimaces
- hacer muecasto make grimaces
- muequearto make grimaces
Swedish grimas, grimasch
- grimasa distortion of the face
- grimascha distortion of the face
- grimaserato make grimaces
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with grimace
Anagrams
Cite this entry
grimace. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/grimace
“grimace.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/grimace. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “grimace,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/grimace.
Source: grimace on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.