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She's angry at him. He was already hurting. She realises and that look tells us she understands.

"Elizabeth could not help observing [...] how frequently Mr. Darcy's eyes were fixed on her. She hardly knew how to suppose that she could be an object of admiration to so great a man; and yet that he should look at her because he disliked her, was still more strange."

The Meaningful Look is a staple of drama in all visual arts, and is often used in comedy as well. From the regretful smile of The Hero who is about to make the Ultimate Sacrifice to the wink of the captured rogue to signal his hidden rescuers, much can be said without words. It can indicate a secret, a character knowing more than they let on, or the scene may involve a person in front of whom the character cannot talk openly.

There are two types of Meaningful Look: Between characters, in-universe. Or from the author to the audience via a character, but if the look is Breaking the Fourth Wall, that's an Aside Glance.

Because facial expressions are used as a part of communication all the time, this trope is only for examples where the look is used as a substitute for speech or the look conveys a fairly specific message.

Related to Facial Dialogue, which is about whole conversations happening silently through expression or characters normally or habitually communicating this way, but Meaningful Look is a single look only. In deciding whether or not to place an example here, consider whether or not the character(s) normally or habitually communicate by Meaningful Looks or whether an entire conversation is being held by looks only. If either is true, the example probably belongs in Facial Dialogue instead of here.

The Meaningful Look is a supertrope to:

Not to be confused with Meaningful Appearance.


Examples:

    open/close all folders 

    Anime & Manga 
  • Just after her true identity is revealed and she is overpowered in Attack on Titan, the gagged Annie pointedly makes eye contact with Eren, who looks extremely distressed when he sees her seemingly helpless. This is even more obvious in the manga, and serves to highlight the respect they hold for each other. See the SnK wiki for the relevant panels.
  • As Death Parade is all about communication, there are a couple of these sprinkled throughout the show. The most impactful one happens during the final episode, where Decim sees his assistant off with his first smile, and is finally able to convey his feelings towards her for the first time.

    Comics 
  • A to-the-audience example occurs in the ElfQuest story "Kings of the Broken Wheel" when Ember is about to hit her brother, Suntop, for blatantly insulting her (see page image). She then realises he did it because he's in severe distress and drops her hand (was a fist). The look she gives her brother, combining realisation, pity and concern, is seen only by the reader (Suntop is looking the other way at the time) and so is obviously meant to convey to the reader not only the message that Ember loves her brother but also that this is a stage in her advancing maturity and developing personality.

    Fan Works 
  • Abraxas (Hrodvitnon): Both Thor and Ghidorah's left head (San-2/Youngest Brother) at one point respectively communicate clear messages to Monster X with nothing but their gazes.
  • Much Ado About Shakespeare: Love's Labours Won: After Horatio and Archie are reconciled and sit at the inn in Portsmouth over a mug of ale, they stare intensely at each other for a long, loaded moment. Before that, Archie had inadvertently confessed his love to his friend and fellow officer.

    Films — Animation 
  • Justice League vs. Teen Titans: Shortly after a group of demons attack Raven at the group carnival outing and force Raven to admit that she's been hiding things, Raven pointedly looks away from the other Teen Titans for a while, conveying her shame both for her Dark Secret (that she's part-demon) and for concealing so much information from the rest of the team.
  • The Little Mermaid (1989): After destroying Ariel's secret grotto in a fit of blind fury, King Triton pauses as he starts to leave and takes a hard, wistful look back at his daughter sobbing in the midst of the rubble, letting us know that he understood the risk of hurting her and losing her love just to keep her safe. The next time we see him, long after Ariel's disappeared from the sea, the full weight of the situation comes down on him, and he realizes that it was a risk not worth taking.
  • Turning Red: When Mei changes her mind about turning into a panda for Tyler's birthday party, her friends share a look that conveys "Are you seeing this?" and "Do you know what this means?" before bursting into ecstatic celebration.

    Film — Live Action 
  • Attack the Block: When Hi-Hatz calls his posse in to get revenge on Moses and company, the two who get into the back of the car share a moment where, without sharing anything except a lingering, information-packed look, they both dive for their seatbelts at the exact same time. This is due to his acute case of Drives Like Crazy trumping any macho posturing over not using the things they might otherwise have gone for.
  • Braveheart shows us a masterful use of this trope and reminds everyone that, whatever one thinks of Mr. Gibson's views and personal fixations, he understands the language of cinema. At a wedding ceremony, there is a voice over narration that implies that the king's son, Prince Edward, does not have any love for Princess Isabelle, whom he is marrying, but King Edward Longshanks himself longs for her. Meanwhile, Prince Edward's lover, Phillip, is on hand and watching the ceremony. King Edward Longshanks is quite attracted to the princess, is aware of his son's sexuality, has contempt for his son, and absolutely despises Phillip. Isabelle, meanwhile, has no desire to be a part of this and is trapped. All of this is conveyed to the audience with a few meaningful glances, a bit of physical acting, a glare, some unfortunate gay visual coding, and an awkward kiss within a scene that lasts seconds.
  • Marvel Cinematic Universe:
    • Avengers: Infinity War: When Loki calls himself Odinson before Thanos, he turns to look at Thor, and his eyes say it all - it's an expression of brotherly love, an apology and a good-bye. He dies shortly after.
    • Avengers: Endgame: When Carol is knocked out by Thanos using a Power Stone-powered punch, Iron Man is in position to seize the gauntlet. Dr. Strange is jerked into looking at the scene, and wordlessly, pointedly looks at Iron Man. He obviously looks extremely nervous, finally tightening his resolve as his facial expression hardens and he signals '1' with a raised digit, never ever averting his gaze from Tony. The whole body language means "This is the one chance we'll ever get", and Tony realizes why Dr. Strange couldn't tell him details before this moment: someone has to pull a Heroic Sacrifice for everyone else to win. Tony steps up to the challenge and saves the day at the cost of his life.
    • Spider-Man: No Way Home: As MCU Spider-Man prepares to end Green Goblin's life with his own glider, an alternate webslinger from the Raimi Trilogy steps in and holds the deadly vehicle in place, while looking his younger counterpart deep in the eyes. MCU Spider-Man's face exudes bloodlust and hate while Raimiverse's - empathy, wisdom,and understanding. This beautiful moment between the two ends with the former abandoning his unholy intent.
  • MonsterVerse:
    • Godzilla:
      • As the male MUTO attacks the Monarch facility in Janjira, Joe Brody and his son Ford exchange a look before Joe falls from an overpass, knowing something bad is about to happen.
      • A skyscraper falls onto Godzilla after he's killed the male MUTO and he locks eyes with Ford. Godzilla gives the awestruck Ford an exhausted but calm look, as if he's thanking Ford for saving his life earlier and acknowledging that they have both been through a lot the past few days.
    • Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019): When he's crippled and near-dead in the Hollow Earth, Godzilla notices Serizawa approaching his head and gives him a direct meaningful look, before Serizawa perishes in a Heroic Sacrifice.
    • Kong: Skull Island: After killing the giant Skullcrawler, Kong is leaving the marsh when he turns and looks back at Mason Weaver and James Conrad, recalling the bond he had formed with them. As per Word of God, the look is meant to hint at something deeper than the typical beauty and the beast storyline that's usually associated with King Kong, and symbolize the notion that gods and humans aren't meant to be together and have to remain separate.
  • Pride & Prejudice (2005): When Miss Darcy meets Elizabeth for the first time at Pemberley, she gives her and her brother Mr Darcy a knowing look. It's implied that Miss Darcy knows that he's in love with her, and wonders what Elizabeth's feelings are.
  • Towards the end of Rogue One there's a scene entirely devoted to protagonists Jyn and Cassian gazing inscrutably at each other in an elevator, a look laden with meaning that is never spelt out to the audience. Is it two people preparing themselves for imminent death with someone they barely know? A shared acknowledgement of everything they've just gone through? A silent realization that they could have loved each other if only they'd had more time together? Something else entirely? It's left up to the viewer's interpretation.
  • Somewhere: When Johnny’s one-night-stand stays over for breakfast, Cleo gives Johnny a prolonged look of betrayal and resentment that he brought a woman over to their hotel room. Johnny meets her gaze with a look of shame and guilt, knowing his daughter has seen him in the fullest light, flaws and all.
  • The Newman / Redford classic The Sting has each con man arriving in Chicago casually flick his nose with his right index finger to signal that he's "in" on the plan to fleece Doyle Lonnegan.
  • True Lies features maverick agent Harry Tasker piloting a Harrier jet. His daughter is clinging to the nose cone (an improvised rescue) while the Big Bad stands on one wing with a pointed firearm. Harry rolls his eyes to his right as a signal to his daughter that he's going to roll the jet. The girl is ready for this move, and doesn't fall off; the Big Bad misses the signal and topples off the edge.
  • X-Men Film Series:
    • X-Men: First Class:
      • Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr exchange numerous glances throughout the movie, which are indicative of their closeness.
      • After Raven Darkholme insinuates that Alex Summers' manhood may be small in response to the latter's mocking of Hank McCoy's feet, Raven and Hank look at each other; the former silently says, "I'm on your side," while the latter quietly expresses his gratitude.
    • X-Men: Days of Future Past:
      • Kitty Pryde and Bobby Drake share one as they cross paths during their battle against the Sentinels, and this may allude to them being in a relationship.
      • Mystique, disguised as a colonel, winks at Alex in a reassuring manner which says, "Don't worry, I'll get you out of this." Alex is unaware that the colonel is his former friend, though, so the wink confuses him.
      • Hank and Charles exchange an amused "Why am I not surprised?" glance (the former even adds a raised eyebrow) after Peter Maximoff asks them, "I saw your flight plan in the cockpit; why are you going to Paris?"
    • X-Men: Apocalypse: Alex, who is mortified by his ex-mentor's prolonged ogling of Moira, calls out to the Professor and silently conveys with his eyes, "You're here to ask her about Cairo, remember?", which finally snaps Charles out of his reverie.

    Literature 
  • Emma by Jane Austen:
    • During the dinner party at the Coles, Frank Churchill casts a long look at Miss Fairfax. When Emma notices, he says Miss Fairfax has a strange hairdo and that he couldn't help himself and had to stare. However, it was a loving and longing look. They are secretly engaged.
    • Mr Knightley noticed significant glances which Frank Churchill directed at Miss Fairfax while he dined with them and Emma was not present. He thought the looks were inappropriate because Frank Churchill seemed to court Emma. Mr Knightley is the only one who correctly suspected that Franck Churchill and Jane Fairfax share a relationship.
    • Mr Knightley looks at Emma with a glow of regard when they reconcile after the Boxhill fiasco. They can't talk openly because clueless Mr Woodhouse is present as well, but Emma is sure he understands she is genuinely sorry and she knows from his look that she is forgiven.
  • Pride and Prejudice: Mr Darcy frequently fixes his eyes on Elizabeth. She notices that he does that but concludes it's only because he thinks something is wrong or improper about her. Later in the story, Charlotte also notices Mr Darcy often gazes at Elizabeth. She thinks and hopes it could mean he admires her, but she also thinks it could only be that he's absent-minded.
  • In The Handmaid's Tale, when Offred pairs up with Ofglen on her errands to the market, there's a moment where the two exchange a quiet knowing look through their reflections on a shop window, where they first mutually communicate to each other that they are both dissenters to the theocratic order. This is seen poignantly in the film as well.
  • Horatio Hornblower
    • Comes up several times in Lieutenant Hornblower while the ship is under the command of the paranoid Captain Sawyer. Once, Bush notices that Hornblower is pointedly not sharing a look with the abused Plucky Middie Wellardnote  so as to avoid further suspicion from Sawyer. After Sawyer's mysterious fall, Hornblower gives his fellow lieutenants a reassuring Look while interviewing a witness to indicate "there is no evidence to implicate us of a crime". Later, Hornblower does give a significant look to Wellard, and Bush can't decide if it means "hurry up before Buckland changes his mind" or "the secret is still safe", because the question of how Sawyer fell remains up in the air.
    • In The Commodore, Hornblower is unwittingly assigned a Russian translator who has a murderous grudge against the Czar—a fact Hornblower realizes when they're at a fancy reception for the Czar. Because he has to stop this without letting their hosts know (it would be quite a torpedo on the hoped-for alliance), he gives a Look with as much meaning as he can pack into it to Lieutenant Mound, the intelligent junior officer for this adventure, as he hurries to the gallery where the translator plans to shoot from.
  • Good Omens: A particularly dramatic one is shared between two secondary characters which ends up saving the world. Two nurses (part of a Satanic cult to bring about the Antichrist) share a look as they're in front of witnesses. Unfortunately, one nurse interprets the silent exchange as "give me the baby Antichrist", the other (who has yet to realize the English-accented man she's talking to isn't the American ambassador) as "give me the baby we're switching out for the baby Antichrist". As a result, the Antichrist is raised, not with equal input from Hell and Heaven, but as a human.
  • In the Baker Street Irregulars novels by Terrance Dicks, the Kid Detective is having a casual chat with his Friend on the Force who is talking about "The Look" that tells a police officer that someone is a criminal, along the lines of I'm getting away with something that you don't know about. Later the Kid Detective gets "The Look" from a child his own age and decides to look into it.
  • The Pendragon Adventure: In The Reality Bug, overlapping with Face, Nod, Action; Bobby and Aja exchange a look before they head into the gym to get Alex's controller, signifying that they are on the same page. This marks a turning point in their relationship; up till this point, it's largely been one of clashing and disagreement, but now they are ready to work together as fellow Travelers.
    We had to go together. Aja and I then shared eye contact in a way that hadn’t happened up until this point. Though we were both Travelers, our relationship had been a battle from the get-go. But now we were about to step into danger. The look between us said it all. We were in this together, like it or not. I gave her a quick nod, and the two of us stepped into the gym.
  • Fire & Blood: Supposedly, just before kicking off the murder of Aegon II and the purge of his followers, Larys Strong and Corlys Velaryon shared a glance at one another to signify it was on. Gyldayn thinks this sort of behaviour, blatantly unsubtle as it is, was very unlikely.

    Live-Action TV 
  • Many scenes in Buffy the Vampire Slayer have Willow Rosenberg conveying intense emotion with just her facial expressions, beginning in the series premiere with what Joss Whedon calls "her big hurt eyes".
  • The Chosen occassionally uses this trope with its main character for dramatic impact. He, of course, knows everything that's going to happen to Him way ahead of everyone else, but also can't tell any of his followers about it, so several times you get a moment like this, such as Him gazing at crucifixion victims, or the studying, searching way He looks at Judas when they first meet.
  • Game of Thrones:
    • Lord Renly Baratheon shares a lingering look with his secret lover, Ser Loras Tyrell, at the Tourney of the Hand. It is the first indication the viewer receives that there's a romantic relationship between the two men.
    • King Renly Baratheon and Ser Loras Tyrell exchange a glance when Brienne of Tarth asks to become one of Renly's Kingsguards. As Renly considers her request, Loras' expression basically reads, "Tell her no." Renly decides to disregard this silent plea, much to Loras' irritation.
    • After Brienne is appointed to his Kingsguard, Renly winks at her as he applauds to further communicate his warmth and reassurance that he's on her side, regardless of his followers' unfavourable opinion.
    • When Joffrey summons Loras in "Valar Morghulis," the young knight quickly glances at Margaery as if to say, "Do I really have to do this?", and his sister's non-verbal reply is "You have to do your duty."
    • A look occurs between Margaery Tyrell and Loras in "Valar Dohaeris" after they witness Queen Cersei and King Joffrey's snarky discussion. The Tyrell siblings, who are Thicker Than Water and work as a Brother–Sister Team, are surprised that mother and son have used veiled insults against each other in front of their future in-laws.
    • In "Second Sons," Tyrion Lannister raises his glass in pity to Loras, and his eyes say, "You're next to get married." Loras, who is already quite frustrated from the day's events, sighs and turns his head away.
    • More is said without words than with over the course of Edmure and Roslin's wedding. With just their eyes, Catelyn says to Edmure: "Thanks for going through with this." Edmure says "Score!" when he gets a glimpse of his unexpectedly lovely young bride, and Walder says "Hah, look at what you missed out on!" to Robb once Roslin is unveiled.
    • Walder delivers the speech that will signal the massacre at the Red Wedding, Catelyn shares a look of fear with a smiling Roose Bolton, who even signals her to look beneath his sleeve. He's wearing armour, showing he's in on the impending betrayal.
    • After an entire season of Snark-to-Snark Combat; the look between Brienne and Jaime in Season 3 finale "Mhysa" speaks volumes.
    • In Season 5, Ellaria Sand makes an Implied Death Threat to the Prince of Dorne. His bodyguard looks at the Prince and strokes his axe, but the Prince silently indicates he doesn't want Ellaria killed.
  • Horatio Hornblower, second installment "Mutiny" and "Retribution": Many characters exchange significant looks when they cannot say what they would like to. Usually it's because they are in front of their superiors and they cannot talk freely.
    • Lieutenants and best pals Horatio Hornblower and Archie Kennedy exchange lots of Meaningful Looks which express their dissatisfaction and disgust with the situation on their ship, commanded by paranoid and mentally unstable captain. They understand each other without words.
    • Styles and Matthews, most prominent lower deck characters, share a worried look when Captain Sawyer assigns Hornblower to serve 36 hours of continuous watch, and reminds him that when an officer is found asleep on watch, it means a death sentence.
    • Hornblower signals to 1st Lt. Buckland that he shouldn't interfere with Captain Sawyer and that he should carry out his order to arrest all the other lieutenants.
    • In the second part, "Retribution", Lt. Bush joins Hornblower and Kennedy in the fun. They start trading the looks which express their annoyance with Acting Captain Buckland's incompetence and lack of commanding abilities.
    • Their Spanish adversaries and prisoners, Senor and Senora Ortega share a look after they were forced to the unconditional surrender. We later find out its meaning. He wanted her to pull the Honey Trap. She pretended she was interested in having sex and killed one stupid Red Shirt, and the Spanish prisoners took over the ship.
    • During one scene at the court, everybody looks silently at Gunner Hobbs. They believe that his testimony will be crucial and reveal what happened on the ship and who pushed the captain down the hatchway.
  • In How I Met Your Mother, Lily verbally supports the idea of her ex-boyfriend Marshall dating someone else, but simultaneously shoots her friend one of these looks. The look's meaning is entirely lost on her, something which they lampshade later.
    Robin: That doesn't seem like a look.
    Lily: Yes it is. It means, "I'm upset, call me later."
    Robin: You should have pulled me aside and told me what the look meant.
    Lily: If I pulled you aside, I wouldn't need the look...
  • Legion: In "Chapter 27", before finalizing the truce with Past Amahl Farouk, David Haller glances at Charles Xavier for reassurance that he's doing the right thing by making peace with their mutual enemy, and his father nods in approval.
  • Halbrand from The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is the master of expressive eyes and facial language. In Numenor, while being escorted through the city, Halbrand looked intently at a blacksmith doing his work, later when he is angered by three Rabble Rousers the camera does a close-up of his face being petrified, but with a lot of anger in his eyes when they mention Galadriel.
  • Murdoch Mysteries:
    • Dr. Emily Grace and constable George Crabtree are an established Beta Couple, though not officially engaged. When they're walking at the beach, a playboy Leslie Garland catches Emily's eyes and they share a long look. There seems to be an acute interest on both sides and clear attraction on Leslie's side. George doesn't notice because he's busy describing how he invented a new beach game (basically a flying disc).
    • In "Murdoch in the Ragtime", Emily Grace and George come to spend an evening in a bar and they meet Leslie Garland. Leslie and Emily attempt playing ragtime together on the piano. This time George notices them and he keeps looking at them, somewhat worried.
  • Star Trek: Deep Space Nine:
    • The Klingons have their own very specific word for this. Worf is explaining where his loyalty to General Martok comes from.
      Worf: You know that I was forced to fight the Jem'Hadar guards in the camp. Each day they would call me to the ring, and each day I would fight. But then there came a day when I... wavered.
      Sisko: You mean you didn't want to go back into the ring?
      Worf: No, I mean I considered letting them kill me. It seemed like the only way out. Just before I went into the ring, Martok turned to wish me success. And then he saw what I was planning, he saw it in my eyes. It was a moment of tova'dok.
      Sisko: Of what?
      Worf: There is no human word for it. It is a moment of... clarity, between two warriors on a field of battle. Much is said without the need for words. In that moment, he knew what was in my mind. Once I realized that he saw my intention to give up I could no longer go through with it. I went back into the ring and fought once more. He had given me his warrior's heart. Perhaps it is something a Human cannot understand.
    • Discussed in "Sons of Mogh", when Worf is nearly killed by another Klingon armed with a hidden knife, and worries that he's losing his touch because he failed to see the intent to kill in the man's eyes.
  • Star Trek: Picard: In "The Impossible Box", Rios and Jurati glance at each other because they had slept together the night before, but they're not subtle about it because Elnor immediately notices their shared gaze and remarks, "The obvious tension between you makes me uneasy."
  • Supernatural: Have you met the Winchester brothers and their angel companion Castiel? All three are highly adept at communicating all manner of torment, sublimated attraction, and conflicting loyalty via Puppy-Dog Eyes.
    • A couple between Sam and Madison in "Heart". Once Sam goes to sit on the couch to get away from the underwear, Madison, with her face turned away from him, breaks into a large, victorious smile. After Madison says she is going to turn in, she gives a backward glance to Sam before going into her bedroom. He returns her glance with a shy smile.
    • Dean's look of absolute horror upon witnessing Sam drink demon blood is devastating.
    • At the pier in "When the Levee Breaks", Castiel is still following orders but his facial expressions indicate that he's absolutely tormented by what Heaven is ordering him to do.
    • During his Season 6 villain arc, Castiel often looks outright heartbroken at his own actions and the fact that he is working against the Winchester brothers, even if he believes it is for the greater good.
    • In ""Folsom Prison Blues" , Special Agent Calvin Reidy tends to say little, but is able to communicate a lot to his partner Agent Henriksen in a glance.
  • In Rome, Brutus and his fellow conspirators are discussing their plans when Julius Caesar happens to look at Brutus and smile. This throws them into a panic, as they're now convinced he knows about their plotting.
  • The White Queen: During their joint coronation, Richard III and Anne Neville exchange a triumphant glance which wordlessly communicates, "We're King and Queen of England now, and we did it together."
  • Without a Trace's Martin and Danny seem to exchange more of these with each other than with their girlfriends. In particular, when Martin joins Danny at an AA meeting (he's developed a painkiller addiction after being shot) and later tells him that he's gotten a sponsor and committed to getting his act together, Danny essentially conveys to him that "I'm So Proud of You" without saying a word.
  • The X-Files, "Grotesque": Agent Mulder is sinking into darkness and madness when he's investigating a particularly difficult case with a copycat serial killer. His supervisor Skinner asks his partner how he deals. She answers just with her look.
    Skinner: Are you worried about him, Agent Scully?
    Scully: No, sir.
    Skinner: Off the record.
    [Scully doesn't answer. She just cocks her head and looks extremely sad.]
    Skinner: So am I.

    Video Games 
  • At the beginning of Doom (2016), Voice with an Internet Connection Samuel Hayden tries to justify the actions that led to a demonic invasion of Mars by saying it was all done for the betterment of humanity. The Doom Slayer promptly stares at a nearby corpse for a moment, almost as if to say "Well, there's humanity. Does he look better off to you?"

    Webcomics 
  • Invoked by name in Homestuck.
    SOLLUX: yes they will! they just t0ld me.
    VRISKA: I d8dn't hear them say shit!
    SOLLUX: they b0th gave me meaningful glances!
    SOLLUX: like as if t0 say, aw yeah, let's b0unce.
    • Another example of this trope arises when WV is standing in a river intermixed with the blood of all of the pawns that he led to be murdered by Jack Noir. The narrator's dialogue cannot properly convey the sadness that WV shows in his simple facial expression.
  • The Bully's Bully uses both Meaningful Looks and Facial Dialogue because it's a textless web comic.

    Web Videos 
  • The Lizzie Bennet Diaries: Lizzie mentions that Darcy keeps looking at her when she's staying at Bing Lee's place. Like in the book, she thinks he disagrees with something she does or says. Like in the book, these are actually longing looks.
    Lizzie: Every time I'm in a room with that man, he stares at me... Constantly. It's like I'm a traffic accident.. And. He. Just. Can't. Look. Away.

     Western Animation 


 
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Give Razor [The Look]

You flirt with the world-destroying Princess by giving her "The Look". She reciprocates but still kills you.

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