Meaning & use
wrinkled nose
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Meanings
nouncountable
A nose with its skin scrunched up into small folds, usually to show that something smells or tastes unpleasant or seems distasteful.
Grammar: Used with an or the: she answered with a wrinkled nose.
Patterns
- with a wrinkled nose
- a wrinkled nose at something
He gave the curdled milk a wrinkled nose and poured it down the sink.
Her wrinkled nose told me she did not like the perfume.
The toddler tasted the spinach and responded with a wrinkled nose.
nouncountable
A nose whose skin has permanent lines or creases, often because of age or long exposure to sun.
Grammar: Describes physical appearance: the old fisherman had a wrinkled nose.
Patterns
- a wrinkled nose and cheeks
The portrait showed an old farmer with a wrinkled nose and sunburned cheeks.
Years of squinting in the sun had left him with a wrinkled nose.
Word forms
| plural | wrinkled noses |
|---|
Common combinations
- give a wrinkled nose
- The cat gave a wrinkled nose at the strong smell of vinegar.
- a wrinkled nose of disgust
- She greeted the dirty dishes with a wrinkled nose of disgust.
- react with a wrinkled nose
- Most children react with a wrinkled nose to bitter vegetables.
- a wrinkled nose and a frown
- He read the review with a wrinkled nose and a frown.
- a cute wrinkled nose
- The puppy sneezed and made a cute wrinkled nose.
Synonyms and how they differ
- grimace
- A grimace involves the whole face twisting, often from pain, while a wrinkled nose focuses on the nose and suggests dislike of a smell or taste.
- scowl
- A scowl shows anger or annoyance through a frown, whereas a wrinkled nose signals distaste rather than anger.
- sneer
- A sneer curls the lip to show contempt for a person or idea, while a wrinkled nose is usually a reaction to something unpleasant to the senses.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: wrinkled nose or runny nose?
wrinkled nose vs runny nose
A runny nose has liquid coming out, usually from a cold, while a wrinkled nose is a scrunched expression.
Practice
Hannah took one sniff of the spoiled fish and answered with a wrinkled ___.
Choose one answer.
The fixed expression is wrinkled nose, a reaction to a bad smell. A raised eyebrow shows surprise, not disgust.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wrinkled nose”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.