demeanor

de·mean·or

noun \di-ˈmē-nər\

Definition of DEMEANOR

: behavior toward others : outward manner

Examples of DEMEANOR

1. <the director of the opera company has a haughty demeanor that can be irritating>
2. Staffs like the one at Veritas have come a long way from the days when sommeliers … intimidated diners with their overbearing demeanor and French accents. —Food & Wine, September 2002
3. Sam himself, a quiet young man with a rather shy demeanor, was somewhat bemused by all this attention. —Lola Oberman, Bird Watcher's Digest, November/December 1994

Origin of DEMEANOR

¹demean (see ¹demean)

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to DEMEANOR

Synonyms: actions, address, bearing, comportment, conduct, behavior, deportment, geste (also gest) [archaic]

Related Words: etiquette, form, manners, mores, proprieties; p's and q's; amenity, civility, courtesy, decorum, politeness; air, attitude, carriage, poise, pose, posture, presence; aspect, look, mien; formality, protocol, rules; custom, habit, habitude, pattern, practice (also practise), trick, wont; convention, fashion, form, mode, style; affectation, attribute, characteristic, mark, trait; distinctiveness, oddity, peculiarity, singularity, strangeness, uniqueness, weirdness

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See Synonym Discussion at bearing

Rhymes with DEMEANOR

convener, dry cleaner, fourteener, pipe cleaner