1. plural of rictus; fixed gaping expressions of the mouth, especially resembling grins
Usage: medical; literary

Examples

• The patients displayed disturbing rictuses due to their neurological condition.
• The horror movie featured zombies with permanent rictuses.
• Death had frozen their faces into ghastly rictuses.
• The medication caused involuntary rictuses in some patients.
• The artist painted portraits showing various rictuses of emotion.
• The corpses were found with rictuses that suggested they had died laughing.