microexpression
/ˌmaɪkɹəʊ.ɪkˈspɹɛʃən/
microexpression · noun — A fleeting, involuntary facial expression that may reveal private thoughts or emotions. It carries an Arena rating of 1454, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, microexpression ranks #687 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #2,574 of 17,128 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #3,162 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #3,641 of 17,128 for Most Vivid Words.
microexpression is pronounced /ˌmaɪkɹəʊ.ɪkˈspɹɛʃən/.
Why “microexpression” is a great word
A brief, involuntary facial expression that reveals an emotion a person is attempting to conceal. From the combining form micro- (from Greek mikros, meaning "small") and expression (from Latin expressio, meaning "a pressing out, portrayal"). Unlike a macroexpression—a full, prolonged, socially modulated performance—or a facial tic—a repetitive, meaningless spasm—the microexpression is a true, specific emotion bursting through a dam of suppression. It is the lip-corner tightened in a nanosecond flash of contempt, the involuntary widening of the eyes in a surge of genuine fear, or the fleeting, genuine joy that crosses a face before the mask of grief is fully donned—an utterly honest signal in a dishonest world, a truth told in a language faster than speech.
❧ Written by Lexicurio’s AI
Etymology
From micro- + expression.
noun
- A fleeting, involuntary facial expression that may reveal private thoughts or emotions.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
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