What does grimace mean?
A grimace is a twisted facial expression that commonly communicates discomfort, pain, disgust, or displeasure, and the word can also be used as a verb meaning to make such an expression. Because the meaning is conveyed largely through the face, a grimace is often more immediate and less deliberate than a spoken complaint. It can be a spontaneous reaction to something unpleasant, such as a bitter taste or an injury, but it may also be performed deliberately to show skepticism, embarrassment, or distaste. In British and American English, “grimace” is widely understood and generally neutral in tone. Its usefulness lies in describing a recognizable physical sign of a reaction without requiring the exact emotion to be named: the surrounding context can indicate whether the expression reflects pain, disgust, or social disapproval.
A grimace is a twisted facial expression indicating pain, disgust, discomfort, displeasure, or another negative reaction.
"A grimace of discomfort crossed his face when the meeting began."
It is often a count noun and may be modified by expressions such as “of pain,” “of disgust,” or “of discomfort.”
To grimace is to make a twisted facial expression, usually because of pain, disgust, discomfort, or displeasure.
"She grimaced and reached for a glass of water."
The verb is intransitive in its usual use and describes a reaction visible on the face.
The standard plural is “grimaces.” The word is also used in the plural to refer to a series of facial expressions.
"He made a few grimaces while trying to eat the spicy stew."
A grimace can say more than a sentence: one twisted expression can reveal pain, disgust, or awkwardness at a glance.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Words that share this root
Related word forms
How grimace is actually used
The word is neutral in register and is used in both formal and informal contexts. A grimace may be involuntary, as with pain, or deliberately used to communicate displeasure, skepticism, or embarrassment. It usually describes a facial expression rather than a complete bodily movement.