Meaning & use
mien
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Meanings
nounsingular
The way a person looks and carries themselves, which shows their mood or character.
Grammar: Usually singular with an adjective: a calm mien.
Patterns
- with a calm mien
- a mien of something
The judge entered the room with a stern mien.
She kept a calm mien despite the chaos around her.
His cheerful mien made the guests feel welcome.
nounsingularliterary
The expression on someone's face.
Grammar: A narrower, less common sense; usually in written description.
Patterns
- a solemn mien
He wore a solemn mien throughout the ceremony.
Her mien turned thoughtful as she listened.
The old sailor's weathered mien told of years at sea.
Common combinations
- dignified mien
- She walked in with a dignified mien.
- calm mien
- The pilot kept a calm mien during the storm.
- stern mien
- The headmaster had a stern mien.
- cheerful mien
- The nurse greeted patients with a cheerful mien.
- mien of authority
- He spoke with a mien of authority.
- solemn mien
- The priest approached with a solemn mien.
Synonyms and how they differ
- demeanor
- Demeanor is a more common word for how someone behaves and is easier to understand.
- bearing
- Bearing stresses posture and the way someone carries themselves, rather than the look on their face.
- air
- Air is shorter and suggests an impression someone gives, as in an air of calm.
- manner
- Manner is plain and general, covering how someone acts toward other people.
Commonly confused: mien or mean?
mien vs mean
Mean sounds exactly like mien but means unkind or to signify, so mien is the noun for a person's bearing.
Practice
Which sentence uses mien correctly?
Choose one answer.
Mien is a noun for a person's bearing or expression, so a confident mien fits. It cannot be a verb, a length, or a taste.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mien”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.