discountenance

1 of 2

verb

dis·​coun·​te·​nance di-ˈskau̇n-tə-nən(t)s How to pronounce discountenance (audio)
-ˈskau̇nt-nən(t)s
discountenanced; discountenancing; discountenances

transitive verb

1
2
: to look with disfavor on : discourage by evidence of disapproval
discountenanced all bellicose statements

discountenance

2 of 2

noun

Examples of discountenance in a Sentence

Verb a social philosopher who discountenanced all programs for helping the needy, claiming that society should encourage survival of the fittest the political party was discountenanced by the actions of a few of its overly zealous members Noun made known his long-standing discountenance of any form of religious belief

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1584, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1579, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of discountenance was in 1579

Dictionary Entries Near discountenance

Cite this Entry

“Discountenance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discountenance. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

discountenance

verb
dis·​coun·​te·​nance
dis-ˈkau̇nt-ᵊn-ən(t)s,
-ˈkau̇nt-nən(t)s
1
2
: to look with disfavor on
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