as in grimace
a twisting of the facial features in disgust or disapproval
it was clear from the frown on the CEO's face that sales were headed in the wrong direction
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to glare
to look with anger or disapproval
the boss just stood there and frowned at his assistant who, once again, was in trouble
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of frown
Matthew Bremner, Rolling Stone, 5 Jan. 2025
Jean-Baptiste, her mouth set in a tight-lipped frown, her eyes ablaze with fear and loathing, soft-pedals nothing.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 3 Jan. 2025
Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 5 June 2025
While legal, such contracts with outside firms have been frowned upon by many Bay Area and California district attorneys, and leaders of the California District Attorney’s Association have historically warned prosecutors against entering such partnerships.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for frown
Noun
The old woman, though, stares at the screen, the shadow of a smile curled into her lips and a frown barely creasing her forehead.
—Matthew Bremner, Rolling Stone, 5 Jan. 2025
Jean-Baptiste, her mouth set in a tight-lipped frown, her eyes ablaze with fear and loathing, soft-pedals nothing.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 3 Jan. 2025
Verb
For example, the color red is frowned upon and cannot be worn.
—Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 5 June 2025
While legal, such contracts with outside firms have been frowned upon by many Bay Area and California district attorneys, and leaders of the California District Attorney’s Association have historically warned prosecutors against entering such partnerships.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for frown
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frown
Noun
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Throughout baseball history, such collisions have been met mostly with grimaces and shrugs.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2025
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Monday’s developments were greeted with grimace around town.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Jaden Springer, Jazz (NG) Springer is only 22 and has shown real promise as a defender, but his 23.8 percent career mark on 3s is a glaring problem.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
18 June 2025
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Meloni's body language was reminiscent of another moment of friction at a past G7 summit — when then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel was photographed in 2018 leaning over a table to glare at President Donald Trump, who in turn, folded his arms across his chest and glared back.—
Rachel Raposas,
People.com,
17 June 2025
Noun
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And only after stomping around for almost two full minutes did Roberts finally retreat, trudging back to the clubhouse with a scowl on his face.—
Jack Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2025
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The rout evened this three-game series and added a laugher to a rivalry usually played with scowls and gritted teeth.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
11 June 2025
Verb
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Far too often, business leaders get caught staring at the wrong gauges—hyper-focused on vanity metrics, internal politics or the crisis of the week.—
Ryan Kunkel,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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Captured in the early morning, the video shows the woman entering her kitchen to find her partner staring at a grey cat, which is nonchalantly eating from a bowl on the floor.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Frown.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frown. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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