face

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

n. facing; countenance, visage, physiognomy, lineaments, features; front, facade, facet, obverse; van, first line; prestige, reputation; effrontery, insolence; mug, map, puss, phiz (all sl.). See appearance, repute. —v. encounter, confront; veneer, plate, sheathe; look out on. See opposition, covering, direction.

- face down - face up to

II

(Roget's IV) n.

1. [The front of the head]

Syn. visage, countenance, appearance, features, lineaments, silhouette, profile, physiognomy, front, map*, mug*, pan*, puss*, kisser*.

2. [Facial expression]

Syn. look, cast, grimace; see appearance 1 , expression 4 .

3. [Bold or inconsiderate conduct]

Syn. effrontery, impudence, impertinence; see rudeness .

4. [A plane surface]

Syn. front, surface, right side, dial; see front 1 , plane 1 .

5. [Prestige]

Syn. status, standing, self-respect; see dignity 1 , reputation 2 .

6. [Appearance]

Syn. light, aspect, presentation; see appearance 1 .

• fly in the face of,

Syn. defy, rebel against, disobey; see dare 2 , oppose 2 .

• make a face,

Syn. distort one's face, grimace, scowl, mug*; see frown .

• on the face of it,

Syn. to all appearances, seemingly, according to the evidence; see apparently .

• pull or [m1]• wear a long face*,

Syn. look sad, scowl, pout; see frown .

• set one's face against,

Syn. oppose, resist, disapprove of, set oneself against; see disapprove 1 , oppose 1 .

• show one's face,

Syn. be seen, show up, come; see appear 1 , 3 .

• to one's face,

Syn. candidly, openly, frankly, boldly; see openly 1 .

Syn.- face is the basic, direct word for the front of the head; countenance refers to the face as it reflects the emotions or feelings and is, hence, often applied to the facial expression [ his happy countenance] ; visage refers to the form, proportions, and expression of the face, especially as indicative of general temperament [ a man of stern visage] ; physiognomy refers to the general cast of features, esp. when considered as characteristic of an ethnic group or as supposedly indicative of character [ the physiognomy of an honest man ] v.

1. [To confront conflict or trouble]

Syn. confront, oppose, defy, meet, dare, brave, challenge, withstand, beard, court, encounter, risk, tolerate, endure, sustain, suffer, bear, tell to one's face, show a bold front, make a stand, meet face to face, look in the eye, grapple with, come to grips with, stand up to, cope with, contend with, deal with, handle, front, brook, allow, stand, submit, go up against, square up to, meet head-on, not shrink from, take it*, bell the cat*, take the bull by the horns*, face the music*; see also endure 2 .

Ant. evade*, avoid, run away from.

2. [To put a face on a building]

Syn. refinish, front, decorate, surface, dress, smooth the surface of, polish, level, redecorate, remodel, brick over, cover, coat, shingle, side, plaster, stucco, veneer.

3. [To put facing on goods]

Syn. line, bind, trim, hem, back, pipe, tuck, overlay, fold, bias.

4. [To look out on]

Syn. front, front on, overlook, border, be turned toward, look toward, view, give on or onto.

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus)

I

n.

1. visage countenance, features, physiognomy, *mug, *puss, front, profile, *kisser, head. ''The portrait of the mind.''—Samuel Coleridge. ''The shorthand of the mind. ''— Jeremy Collier. ''A book where men may read strange matters.''—Shakespeare. ''The title page which heralds the contents of the human volume.''—William Matthews. ''Oftentimes the true index of the heart.''— James Howell. see expression, eye, frown, mouth, nose, old-faced, smile

2. front exterior, surface, appearance, mask, semblance, disguise, facade.

II

v.

confront, meet, brave, encounter, beard, withstand, bear, *fly in the face of, acknowledge, *meet head-on, brook, *bite the bullet.

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I noun 1. The front surface of the head: countenance, feature (often used in plural), muzzle, visage. Informal: mug. Slang: kisser, map, pan, puss. See PRECEDE. 2. A disposition of the facial features that conveys meaning, feeling, or mood: aspect, cast, countenance, expression, look, visage. See EXPRESS. 3. A facial contortion indicating displeasure, disgust, or pain: grimace, moue, mouth, pout. Informal: mug. See EXPRESS. 4. An outward appearance: aspect, countenance, look, physiognomy, surface, visage. See SURFACE. 5. The level of credit or respect at which one is regarded by others: prestige, standing, status. See RESPECT. 6. The state or quality of being impudent or arrogantly self-confident: assumption, audaciousness, audacity, boldness, brashness, brazenness, cheek, cheekiness, chutzpah, discourtesy, disrespect, effrontery, familiarity, forwardness, gall1, impertinence, impudence, impudency, incivility, insolence, nerve, nerviness, overconfidence, pertness, presumptuousness, pushiness, rudeness, sassiness, sauciness. Informal: brass, crust, sauce, uppishness, uppityness. See ATTITUDE, COURTESY. 7. The forward outer surface of a building: façade, front, frontage, frontal. Architecture: frontispiece. See PRECEDE. 8. A deceptive appearance: cloak, color, coloring, cover, disguise, disguisement, façade, false colors, front, gloss, guise, mask, masquerade, pretense, pretext, semblance, show, veil, veneer, window-dressing. Slang: put-on. See SHOW. 9. The outer layer of an object: surface, top. See SURFACE. 10. The marked outer surface of an instrument: dial. See PRECEDE. II verb 1. To have the face or front turned in a specific direction: front, look (on or upon). See PRECEDE. 2. To confront boldly and courageously: beard, brave, challenge, dare, defy, front. Idioms: fly in the face of, snap one's fingers at, stand up to, thumb one's nose at. See RESIST. 3. To meet face-to-face, especially defiantly: accost, confront, encounter, front. See MEET. 4. To come up against: confront, encounter, meet1, run into. See MEET. 5. To furnish with a covering of a different material: clad, cover, sheathe, side, skin. See SURFACE.