What Does the 🫥 (Dotted Line Face) Emoji Mean? Plus, How to Use It

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Discover the many meanings of this partially-complete emoticon

Co-authored by Imad Jbara and Ali Garbacz, B.A.

Last Updated: November 26, 2024 Fact Checked

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Meanings & Use

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How to Respond

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Emojis to Pair with 🫥 (Dotted Line Face) Emoji

Someone just sent you the 🫥 (dotted line face) emoji over text, but you’re not quite sure how you’re supposed to interpret it. Are they sad? Happy? Frustrated? If you’re looking for answers, we’ve got you covered. We’ll walk you through all of the possible meanings of 🫥 and give you plenty of examples of how someone might use it. We’ll also provide you with tips on how to reply in any situation as well as give you some suggestions for other emojis to use alongside this incomplete emoji.

Things You Should Know

The 🫥 (dotted line face) emoji can mean someone is feeling sad, uncertain, or a bit lonely.
On the other hand, someone might send 🫥 when they’re talking about unfinished plans or a secret they want to tell.
Send an encouraging message to lift the other person’s spirit and show your support if they seem sad when sending 🫥.

Section 1 of 3:

🫥 (Dotted Line Face) Emoji Meanings & Uses

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Someone might send 🫥 when they’re feeling sad. If you receive a text from someone that has 🫥 in it, it could be a sign that they’re feeling a bit down. Maybe they had a rough day or are worried about something big coming up. Whatever the case may be, they might use 🫥 as a subtle way to express their lower-than-normal mood.^{[1]
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- “Today’s been a bit rough 🫥”
- “I don’t know…I just haven’t been feeling like myself lately 🫥🙁”
- “Just have a lot on my mind right now 🫥🫥”
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🫥 can also represent uncertainty or hesitation. It might be that your friend wants to say something but is holding back for some reason. To express their uncertainty, they might add 🫥 to their message. Or, they might be in the middle of making a big decision and aren’t sure what to choose. 🫥 might be their way of asking you for help.
- “I don’t know if I should say this but…🫥”
- “🫥 I don’t really want to make a big deal out of this.”
- “I’m torn. Should I do it or not? 🫥😫”
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Someone who is introverted or quiet may use 🫥. This emoji is perfect to send if someone wants to let you know that they’re more on the introverted or shy side. Since 🫥 looks like it’s slightly fading away, you might interpret it to mean that someone’s a wallflower and prefers to stay in the background in social situations.
- “I’m feeling a bit shy today 🫥”
- “So…how many people are you inviting on Friday? Anyone I know? 🫥”
- “🫥🙈 Sorry I just don’t have a lot to say haha.”
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🫥 is a way for someone to say they want to hide away. When someone is feeling overwhelmed, they might send you 🫥 to express how they just want to hide away from it all for a bit.
- “🫥🫥 Everything’s just so overwhelming all of a sudden.”
- “I just want to turn into a rock and not do anything for a whole week 🫥🪨”
- “I just need a break from reality for like, the next month 🫥”
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A person who feels left out might send 🫥. This emoji’s style is inspired by the way comic artists sometimes use dotted lines to portray people or objects that are invisible. Likewise, someone sending 🫥 might feel like they’re invisible or insignificant to others. They might also use 🫥 to indicate that something they said isn’t all that important.
- “Oh, no one told me you guys were hanging out this weekend 🫥”
- “Haha ignore what I just said it’s not important 🫥😅”
- “I don’t think my opinion is all that important at the moment 🫥🤐”
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🫥 could represent unfinished plans or secrets. Someone might be sending 🫥 as a way to tease you about some plans or secrets they have yet to reveal. The dotted lines look like something you might see on a blueprint for a work in progress, so this emoji can definitely add an air of mystery to someone’s text.^{[2]
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- “Something big is happening but I can’t say what it is 🫥👀”
- “It’s a work in progress 🫥🫥 Hopefully it’ll be done soon!”
- “I have a secret that I just NEED to tell you 🫥 But you can’t tell anyone else, got it? 🤐”

Section 2 of 3:

Responding to the 🫥 (Dotted Line Face) Emoji

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Send lots of lovely emojis to cheer them up. If someone is sending you 🫥 because they’re feeling a bit down or sad, be sure to do your best to lift their spirits and make them smile. Send them lots of encouraging words and happy emojis, like hearts and smiley faces.
- “I’m sorry you’re feeling so down 😢 Let me know if there’s anything I can do 💜”
- “I’m here for you no matter what ❤️🥰”
- “You’re such a strong person, I know you’ll get through this 💪💛😊”
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Encourage them to speak their mind. When someone is feeling a bit hesitant or uncertain, show them that you’re willing to listen and encourage them to tell you their honest thoughts. Let them know that you’re there to help them and give your own opinion if you think it’ll help.
- “You know you can tell me anything! I’m a great listener 👂”
- “I want to hear what you think! 😊”
- “Tell me what’s on your mind. Whatever you have to say is important 😁”
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Ask them questions to get them to open up. If someone is feeling a bit shy or is more on the introverted side, ask them questions and engage them in fun conversations to get them to come out of their shell. Find out their interests and use that information to engage them in conversation.^{[3]
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- “Here’s a fun question: Would you rather travel to the future or the past? 🤨”
- “What do you like to do in your spare time? I’m really into crafting 🧶🧵”
- “It’s okay if you’re feeling shy! 😊 We can talk about whatever you want!”
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Show them your support and be there to comfort them. When someone is telling you that they just want to disappear or hide away for a while, be there to listen to them and offer comforting words. Sometimes just saying something like, “That must be so hard” or “Your feelings are definitely valid” can bring a lot of comfort to someone.^{[4]
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- “I can’t even imagine how overwhelmed you must be 😞”
- “You’re going through a tough time and your feelings are totally valid 💛”
- “I definitely know where you’re coming from. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”
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Make plans to spend time with them. If your friend sent you 🫥 to let you know that they’re feeling lonely or left out, be sure to make plans to hang out with them as soon as possible. Or, if you can’t physically meet up with them, schedule a time to call or video chat.^{[5]
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- “Okay, we’re definitely hanging out this weekend. Whatever you want to do 😄”
- “I’m literally going to call you right now and I’ll tell you everything 😆”
- “Cancel your plans for Friday because you and I are hanging out no matter what 😘”
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Express your excitement for their plans. Your curiosity will no doubt be piqued if someone sends you 🫥 hinting at some exciting plans or juicy gossip. Let them know with lots of exclamation points that you need to know more details ASAP.
- “Well don’t make me guess. Spill!!! 🧐”
- “You know I love gossip 👀”
- “Ooh sounds exciting 😆 I definitely need to hear more.”

Section 3 of 3:

Emojis to Pair with 🫥 (Dotted Line Face) Emoji

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Use the 😔 (pensive sad face) emoji to tell someone you’re feeling down. The meaning of 🫥 can sometimes be a bit vague, so adding 😔 will let the other person know that you’re feeling a bit down. Other emojis like 🙁 and 😞 can also express a similar sentiment.
- “I don’t know, I just haven’t been feeling the best lately 🫥😔”
- “Sorry, I’ve just been a bit sad these days 🫥😞”
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Add the 💔 (broken heart) emoji if you’re getting over a breakup. Unfortunately, breakups can sometimes make you feel quite sad and like you just want to take a break and disappear for a while. Include 💔 alongside 🫥 to let someone know the specific reason why you’ve been feeling down in the dumps lately.
- “I just got out of a relationship so I’ve been a bit off 🫥💔”
- “I’m still getting over the breakup 🫥💔”
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Send the 🙅 (gesturing no) emoji to say you don’t want to talk. If you’re using 🫥 as a way to tell someone that you just want to be left alone for a bit, add 🙅. Paired with the neutral face on the dotted emoji, this pixelated person gesturing no makes it clear that you might be a bit reluctant to talk about what’s going on.
- “I don’t know if I’m ready to talk about it yet 🫥🙅”
- 🫥🙅 I just need a bit of space at the moment.”
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Use the 👀 (eyes) emoji to hint at something exciting. Whenever you’ve got something exciting or surprising up your sleeve, up the anticipation by sticking 👀 alongside 🫥. People tend to use the eyes emoji when they’ve got some interesting drama or news to share, and it definitely adds to the mysteriousness of the dotted emoji.
- “I have something very exciting to tell you 🫥👀”
- “It’s not done yet but it’ll be so awesome when it is 🫥👀”