English Reference
Noun

demeanor

n. uncountable
C1 Advanced US /dɪˈminɝ/ UK /dɪmˈiːnɐ/ de·meanor UK spelling demeanors, demeanour

n.the way you look and act, which shows people your personality or how you are feeling.

n.outward behaviour or bearing; the way in which a person conducts themselves. Often reflects an underlying emotional state or social status.


SIMPLE

He maintained a calm demeanor even during the difficult meeting.

CONTEXTUAL

The doctor's professional demeanor immediately put the nervous patient at ease.

COMPLEX

Despite the intense scrutiny of the courtroom, the witness maintained a stoic demeanor that made it difficult for the jury to gauge her true reaction to the evidence.

Usage

Usually uncountable when referring to a person's general manner; occasionally used with an adjective to describe a specific style of behavior.

But despite her giggling, girlish demeanour, Cheka has big, often unheard things to say about the state of comedy.

The Guardian· 25 Aug 2026

Howe perhaps underestimated the immense determination of a player whose reserved demeanour he possibly mistook for malleability.

The Guardian· 22 Aug 2026

From Middle English demenure, from the verb Middle English demenen, demeinen (“to handle, manage”), from Old French demener (“to guide, conduct”), from de- + mener (“to conduct, lead”), from Latin *mināre (“to drive”) and minor (“to project or jut forth”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Latin *mināre
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Frequent
Updated