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Recent Examples of rictus
When Martin dies in class after getting frightened in a dream, the sheet is accidentally pulled off of his gurney to reveal his death rictus.
—
Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2024
The entire final sequence, which sees Carter, with a rictus grin, slaughtering his wife in the kitchen, envisions the self-destruction of the nuclear family.
—Beatrice Loayza, Vulture, 12 July 2024
McAvoy’s gift for a rictus grin and a swaggering machismo that eases you into feeling comfortable, only to twist on a 180 into pure psychopathy, is well-played here.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2024
In its promos and trailers, Neon has deftly concealed what Cage’s character — a basement dweller who lives for the devil and has stringy, white hair and a rictus grin — actually looks like.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 8 July 2024
These include a chocolate-brown safe about five feet tall that reveals itself to be full of bobbleheads, the tottering rictus of Suns-era Stephon Marbury peering out at me from the dark.
—Giri Nathan, Vulture, 22 Mar. 2024
Coverage of his personal appearances focused on his obvious discomfort in meeting with strangers and his fruitless efforts to laugh or even crack a smile, which tended to produce only a hideous facial rictus.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2024
Portman and Moore don’t look like average women but resemble drag queens specializing in stealthy passion and uneasy self-control — one a professional parasite and the other a pathetic sociopath, each fronting rictus grins.
—Armond White, National Review, 10 Jan. 2024
Charles is all neurosis and shame, hunched over, face frozen in a rictus of repulsion at his own existence, worried constantly about rejection.
—Isaac Butler, The New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2023
Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2024
The entire final sequence, which sees Carter, with a rictus grin, slaughtering his wife in the kitchen, envisions the self-destruction of the nuclear family.
—Beatrice Loayza, Vulture, 12 July 2024
McAvoy’s gift for a rictus grin and a swaggering machismo that eases you into feeling comfortable, only to twist on a 180 into pure psychopathy, is well-played here.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2024
In its promos and trailers, Neon has deftly concealed what Cage’s character — a basement dweller who lives for the devil and has stringy, white hair and a rictus grin — actually looks like.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 8 July 2024
These include a chocolate-brown safe about five feet tall that reveals itself to be full of bobbleheads, the tottering rictus of Suns-era Stephon Marbury peering out at me from the dark.
—Giri Nathan, Vulture, 22 Mar. 2024
Coverage of his personal appearances focused on his obvious discomfort in meeting with strangers and his fruitless efforts to laugh or even crack a smile, which tended to produce only a hideous facial rictus.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2024
Portman and Moore don’t look like average women but resemble drag queens specializing in stealthy passion and uneasy self-control — one a professional parasite and the other a pathetic sociopath, each fronting rictus grins.
—Armond White, National Review, 10 Jan. 2024
Charles is all neurosis and shame, hunched over, face frozen in a rictus of repulsion at his own existence, worried constantly about rejection.
—Isaac Butler, The New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rictus
Noun
-
As if to commemorate the moment, Melania released her official White House portrait on Monday, standing at the end of a table, hands braced on its surface, a knowing smirk on her face, staring straight into the camera.—
Dan Alexander,
Forbes,
1 Feb. 2025
-
At the end of the clip, Kardashian finally stumbles upon Santa, and the camera turns around to reveal Culkin dressed as St. Nick, holding an old VHS camera and offering an unsettling smirk.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
23 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
The fact that inflation started coming down in the second half of 2022, before the Fed’s interest-rate hikes had had much impact on demand, is another strong indication that snarls in supply were primarily to blame for the earlier spike.—
John Cassidy,
The New Yorker,
20 Jan. 2025
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Triggered with foot pedals, a wellspring of distorted, bluesy and overdriven tones furnished certain riffs and solos with an enticing snarl — and a rock ‘n’ roll edge in line with what should serve as her estimable mission statement.—
Bob Gendron,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Ruby’s face hardened, her lips twisting into a sneer.—
Lizz Schumer,
People.com,
2 Jan. 2025
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Donning false teeth and a homicidal sneer, Dafoe embodied pure evil in Lynch’s crazed road movie, starring opposite Laura Dern and Nicolas Cage.—
Chris Vognar,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Beginning at the very apex of his falsetto, Hawkins tears through his ode to a life-changing love with an impassioned vocal performance that peppers his slight drawl with histrionic growls, effortlessly matching the rousing energy of the track’s instrumentation.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
3 Sep. 2019
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This Max Max style road race never fails to elicit gasps of wonder and growls of friendly frustration when the dice come up in an unexpected way.—
Rob Wieland,
Forbes,
7 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Today’s announcement marks the emergence of a new GE, a high-tech industrial GE — simper, stronger, a more focused company at the core.—
Jon Chesto,
BostonGlobe.com,
26 June 2018
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Al Capone lived as a schoolyard bully, died in a simper with a brain et by syphilis, and lives on through eternity as a cigarillo mascot and gimme film role for dark-haired white actors who want a chance to really chew some scenery.—
Paul Dailing,
Chicago Reader,
21 Dec. 2017
Thesaurus Entries Near rictus
Cite this Entry
“Rictus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rictus. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.
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