# Term for a Thoughtful Facial Expression

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-thoughtful-facial-expression/233034>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 7, 2004, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-thoughtful-facial-expression/233034 "2004-03-07T23:33:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Trucido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@Trucido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trucido)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2004, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-thoughtful-facial-expression/233034/1 "2004-03-07T23:33:57Z")

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When one is trying to look thoughtful, one might pull one’s chin up a little, pushing out the upper lip over the lower and creating a pattern of depressions on the chin. Does this facial expression have a name, or a general term by which it can be referenced without describing it every time?

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**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2004, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-thoughtful-facial-expression/233034/2 "2004-03-07T23:38:37Z")

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I always thought it was called a “HMMMMmmmmm…”, although that might be a colloquialism 😉

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**Author:** ![St\_Ides](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@St\_Ides](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St_Ides)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2004, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-thoughtful-facial-expression/233034/3 "2004-03-07T23:47:08Z")

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[http://www.emotioneric.com/](http://www.emotioneric.com/) See what he says.

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**Author:** ![BuckleberryFerry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5f9b8f/32.png) [@BuckleberryFerry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BuckleberryFerry)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2004, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-thoughtful-facial-expression/233034/4 "2004-03-07T23:50:59Z")

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I hate to be the incredibly serious one here, but…

Pensive?

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**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2004, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-thoughtful-facial-expression/233034/5 "2004-03-07T23:56:57Z")

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Contemplative or Aloof, depends on the on-looker.

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**Author:** ![Trucido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@Trucido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trucido)\
**Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-thoughtful-facial-expression/233034/6 "2004-03-08T00:15:34Z")

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Pensive and contemplative describe the state the expression is supposed to convey, but I was looking more for a name for the expression itself (smile, grin, frown, pout, moue, etc.)