headshaking

1 4.3

A movement of the head from side to side to show refusal, doubt, or confusion

noun
/ˈhɛdˌʃeɪkɪŋ/

: negaciones

His constant headshaking showed that he could not accept what he was hearing.

Examples

There was a lot of headshaking among the audience after the speaker presented such unbelievable claims.
Virtual headshaking here.

Fiction book (1992)
"Virtual headshaking," she replied.

Fiction book (1992)
The teacher noticed headshaking from the students when he announced the difficult exam topics.

Synonyms

raised eyebrow

vsheadshaking

33 3.9

A facial expression showing surprise or doubt when one brow lifts

expresses denial through side-to-side motion rather than a single facial raise

headshake

vsheadshaking

1 3.7

A quick movement of the head from side to side to show you disagree or do not believe something

frames the same action as ongoing or repeated rather than a single movement

Antonyms

agreement

214 1.0

A situation in which people have the same opinion or give their approval

acceptance

125 2.7

Being approved or welcomed by other people

Surface Forms

headshaking singular

headshakings plural

Morphology

headshaking = head + shake (transparent) = head + shake + ing

The sequence 'head' + 'shake' denotes shaking of the head and adding '-ing' forms the action/gerund; the meaning is directly inferable from the parts.

Etymology

Headshaking comes from the two simple words head and shake, giving a clear image of moving your head side to side like a 'no' or a sign of disbelief. So headshaking means the act of moving your head to show denial, doubt, or bemusement.