wooden smile
- noun
- /ˈwʊdən smaɪl/
:
sonrisa artificial
- His wooden smile failed to hide his disappointment.
Examples
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She greeted her new colleagues with a wooden smile, unsure of how to fit in.
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During the tense reunion, Anna managed only a wooden smile instead of a heartfelt greeting.
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He posed for the photo, but his expression was nothing more than a wooden smile.
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She greeted him with a wooden smile.
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During the tense reunion, Anna managed only a wooden smile instead of a heartfelt greeting.
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He posed for the photo, but his expression was nothing more than a wooden smile.
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His wooden smile failed to hide his disappointment.
Synonyms
A smile that is not real and hides anger or sadness
A smile that is fake but looks sincere
Antonyms
How Sincere
4
1.0
- Neologism
- Offensive
Surface Forms
Morphology
The adjective 'wooden' conveys stiffness or an awkward lack of warmth and 'smile' is a facial expression, so a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer a smile that is stiff or emotionless. The metaphor is direct and compositional rather than idiomatic, and similar adjectives-for-facial-expression patterns occur cross-linguistically, making the meaning predictable from the parts.
Etymology
Wooden smile comes from the image of a face like a wooden puppet that is stiff and does not move. Because such a face cannot show real feeling, a wooden smile means a 'fake or emotionless smile'.