chinless
/'tʃinlis/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Having a receding or very weak chin: Describes a person whose chin is set back from the line of the face or is not prominent.
- Weak or ineffectual in character: (Informal, often derogatory) Used to describe someone perceived as lacking strength, determination, or authority.
Usage
- The primary meaning describes a physical facial feature. It is often used in a descriptive, neutral way in contexts like medicine or character description.
- The informal, figurative meaning is used critically to imply a lack of forcefulness or backbone. It is frequently found in British English.
Examples
Physical Description:
- The cartoon character was drawn with a distinctly chinless profile.
- He had a chinless look that made his face appear very round.
Character Description (Informal):
- The critics dismissed the new manager as a chinless wonder who couldn't make a tough decision.
- He came from a privileged but chinless aristocracy.
Advanced Usage
- "Chinless wonder": (British English, informal, derogatory) A common idiom referring to a person, especially from an upper-class background, who is perceived as weak, foolish, or ineffectual.
- The company was run by a bunch of chinless wonders who had inherited their positions.
Variants and Related Words
- Chinlessness (noun): The state or quality of being chinless, either physically or in character.
- His chinlessness was more a matter of character than of anatomy.
Synonyms
- Weak-chinned: (Adjective) Having a physically weak or receding chin.
- Ineffectual: (Adjective) Not producing any or the desired effect; lacking forcefulness (for the figurative sense).
- Feeble: (Adjective) Lacking physical or mental strength (for the figurative sense).
Antonyms
- Strong-jawed: (Adjective) Having a prominent, well-defined jaw and chin.
- Determined: (Adjective) Having made a firm decision and being resolved not to change it (for the figurative sense).
Adjective
- having a receding chin