countenancing

verb

present participle of countenance
1
as in accepting
to have a favorable opinion of I don't countenance such behavior in children of any age

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tolerating
to put up with (something painful or difficult) countenanced the delays and inconveniences of traveling by air with good grace

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of countenancing The castrato was proud to call himself the boy’s father, never publicly countenancing the reality that this was impossible. — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for countenancing
  1. accepting
  2. tolerating
  3. handling
  4. standing
  5. enduring
  6. taking
  7. sustaining
Verb
  • Individualist societies typically focus on independence within social groups, encouraging personal expression, and are more accepting of differences — and are typically found in Western countries, according to studies.
    — Mark Carey, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026
  • To combat this, job seekers are urged to ask detailed questions about role changes, daily challenges, and expectations from multiple interviewers, ensuring radical transparency before accepting an offer.
    — Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of accepting
Verb
  • As the latest chapter in the epic British-American poem known as Fleetwood Mac,Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks are back to tolerating each other’s nonsense in a sexy way.
    — Devon Ivie, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Kim Jong Il’s government accepted international food aid while increasingly tolerating informal markets as the state’s public distribution system broke down.
    — Ethan Teekah, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of tolerating
Verb
  • Balancing privacy and publicity isn’t new, says Alice Marshall, who runs her own public relations agency handling luxury travel clients.
    — Doug Gollan, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Police have confirmed that the victim is an AutoZone employee who was accidentally shot by a coworker handling a firearm inside the store.
    — CBS News Atlanta Digital Team, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of handling
Verb
  • Semenyo had already completed a prolific season in England’s Premier League, scoring 17 league goals to take over boyhood idol Tony Yeboah’s long-standing record for most scored by a Ghanaian in a single season.
    — Andrew McNicol, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • But the American Civil Liberties Union, a long-standing Flock critic, downplayed the new changes as minor.
    — Kevin Collier, NBC news, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of standing
Verb
  • Ries advocates redesigning governance to prioritize stewardship, trust, and mission primacy, citing companies like Costco and Patagonia as examples of enduring success.
    — Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • But in the multicam editing community, there’s no doubt about the form’s enduring value.
    — Leila Jordan, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of enduring
Verb
  • Towns and cities are enacting bans on construction seemingly by the day, including in nearby areas in Washington, out of fears of higher electricity bills, pollution and AI taking their jobs.
    — Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Skubal also issued two walks and hit a batter with a pitch in just his second career appearance at Dodger Stadium, taking the mound nine days after the defending champions acquired him from Detroit in the biggest trade of the deadline.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of taking
Verb
  • But sustaining that rotation has presented its own challenges.
    — Steven Beynon, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • This is a foundational arrangement for sustaining North Korean livelihoods and stabilizing China’s northeastern border.
    — ZHENG JIYONG, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of sustaining

Browse Nearby Words

countenances
countenancing
counter
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Countenancing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/countenancing. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on countenancing

Nglish: Translation of countenancing for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All