Grimace vs. Smirk — What's the Difference?

An ugly, twisted expression on a person's face, typically expressing disgust, pain, or wry amusement

A smirk is a smile evoking insolence, scorn, or offensive smugness, falling into the category of what Desmond Morris described as Deformed-compliment Signals.A smirk may also be an affected, ingratiating smile, as in Mr Bennet's description of Mr Wickham as making smirking love to all his new in-laws in the novel Pride and Prejudice.

Make a grimace

Smile in an irritatingly smug, conceited, or silly way

A sharp contortion of the face expressive of pain, contempt, or disgust.

A smug, conceited, or silly smile

To make a sharp contortion of the face.

To smile in an annoying self-satisfied manner.

A contorted facial expression, often expressing contempt or pain.

An annoying self-satisfied smile.

(obsolete) Affectation, pretence.

An uneven, often crooked smile that is insolent, self-satisfied, conceited or scornful.

(intransitive) To make grimaces; to distort one's face; to make faces.

A forced or affected smile.

A distortion of the countenance, whether habitual, from affectation, or momentary and occasional, to express some feeling, as contempt, disapprobation, complacency, etc.; a smirk; a made-up face.

To smile in a way that is affected, smug, insolent or contemptuous.

To make grimaces; to distort one's face; to make faces.

(obsolete) smart; spruce; affected; simpering

A contorted facial expression;

To smile in an affected or conceited manner; to smile with affected complaisance; to simper.

Contort the face to indicate a certain mental or emotional state;

A forced or affected smile; a simper.

Nice,; smart; spruce; affected; simpering.

A smile expressing smugness or scorn instead of pleasure

Smile affectedly or derisively