hard-favoured

A stern, hard-favoured man looked out from the portrait.

Definition

Adjective: Having a face that is rough, coarse, or unattractive in appearance; stern or forbidding in facial features.

Usage Examples

• (His facial features were rough and unattractive.)
• (The stranger had a stern, unappealing appearance.)

Advanced Usage

• "hard-favoured countenance": a face that is severe or harsh in expression.

  • The judge's hard-favoured countenance made the defendant nervous. (The judge's stern facial expression caused anxiety.)

• "hard-favoured features": specific facial traits that are coarse or unrefined.

  • His hard-favoured features were softened only by a kind smile. (His rough facial traits became less severe when he smiled.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hard-featured (adj): having strong, coarse, or unattractive facial features (synonymous).

  • The hard-featured warrior was feared by all who saw him. (His facial features were rough and intimidating.)

• Favoured (adj): having a particular appearance or look (used in compounds like "ill-favoured", "well-favoured").

  • She was well-favoured, with delicate and pleasant features. (She had a pleasing appearance.)

Synonyms

• Ill-favoured: having an unpleasant or ugly appearance.
• Uncomely: not attractive or pleasing to look at.
• Rough-hewn: crude or unrefined in appearance, especially the face.

Related Idioms

• Hard as nails: (of a person) tough, unyielding, or severe in manner or appearance.

  • He was hard as nails, with a hard-favoured face that showed no emotion. (He was tough and stern-looking.)

• Face only a mother could love: a humorous way to describe an unattractive face.

  • The hard-favoured guard had a face only a mother could love. (His face was very unattractive.)