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Trunks Posted 16 years ago
Vocabulary

Clarification of "countenance"?

"Countenance" means "approval";"tolerate".

So if i say:
He refused to countenance such rude behavior on their part.

So does it mean that he "not only disapproves but also will not allow it to happen at the same time?
  

Top answer

Yes.

— Mr Wordy

  • Yes.
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7 Answers
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TrunksSo if i say:
So if I say:

It may depend on where you say it, but I think that if you say that, people will look at you as if you have two heads. While I have read the verb countenance in older books, I have never heard anyone use it in speech.
Trunksdoes it mean that
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CalifJimIt may depend on where you say it, but I think that if you say that, people will look at you as if you have two heads. While I have read the verb countenance in older books, I have never heard anyone use it in speech.
I read "I say" as including (and probably meaning) "I write". Although it's not a terribly common word in my part of the world e
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Mr WordyIt may be more usual in BrE, I'm not sure.
From your comments, I believe it is more usual in BrE. It is not in my speaking vocabulary or my writing vocabulary and I feel confident in saying that all Americans I know fall into the same category. (Ignorant bunch, our lot, eh?)
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Well, I beg to differ, C.J. but the reason why I actually wanted to know the verb meaning of "countenance" was that the word is included in the SAT vocabulary section for which I'm currently studying. So even though most Americans generally wouldn't use it, I think it's still embraced in the American Dictionary.

And, pardon me, Mr. Wordy, if my intention was
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Trunksthe word is included in the SAT vocabulary section for which I'm currently studying.
Thousands of students study vocabulary lists for that test. They cram hundreds of words into their brains just to do well on that test. Nevertheless, trust me, there are many words that appear in those tests that people never use again once the test is over!

I
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Yeah i know that no one tends to use formal words in everyday conversation, esp. when they are such difficult words both to remember and understand. However, it's just difficult for me to take any risks because i don't seem to quite understand which ones are the important words except for the marked ones. So i decided to study most of these words randomly which are included in the Vocabulary Sect
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