as in scowl
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 scowl
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
Matt Fuchs, Time, 4 Nov. 2025
How to Watch North Carolina at Syracuse Bill Belichick’s first season as North Carolina head coach is winding to a whimpering close, but an ACC win over Syracuse under the Friday Night Lights would sure turn some frowns upside down at Chapel Hill.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 31 Mar. 2026
Subscribers and consumer advocates may be frowning on Netflix’s latest price hikes, but Wall Street is celebrating the move.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for frown
Noun
If only humans kept their expressions to cartoonishly clear frowns and smiles.
—Matt Fuchs, Time, 4 Nov. 2025
How to Watch North Carolina at Syracuse Bill Belichick’s first season as North Carolina head coach is winding to a whimpering close, but an ACC win over Syracuse under the Friday Night Lights would sure turn some frowns upside down at Chapel Hill.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
Hubbard posted an image of herself with a disgusted look on her face from earlier in Season 10, while Dillard shared a photo of himself frowning, also from a scene in the show.
—Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 31 Mar. 2026
Subscribers and consumer advocates may be frowning on Netflix’s latest price hikes, but Wall Street is celebrating the move.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for frown
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frown
Noun
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May wears a smile more often than not, while Underwood is more associated with a perpetual scowl.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
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Despite having her arms almost permanently crossed and a scowl on her face, Ivy eventually starts to warm up, especially to her cheerful, horny-as-a-chihuahua cabin-mate Ella (Ruby Stokes, recently seen in Bridgerton and The Burning Girls).—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Beyond a glaring betrayal of the medium the Drafthouse once sought to exalt, the QR policy single-handedly reduces the theater from a sacred space to just another room, which is an illusion that even AMC nominally pledges to maintain.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2026
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At first, López held up his hands as the two glared at each other before both started throwing punches.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Charlie Lindgren’s grimace was evident behind his mask.—
Bailey Johnson,
Washington Post,
6 Apr. 2026
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And yet, the wry grimaces that followed said the quiet part out loud.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Naturally, Williams falls into the pool and uses the opportunity to take off his wet shirt, causing all the women, as well as the waitstaff, to helplessly stare at him.—
Tiffany Kelly,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Apr. 2026
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Put Your Stamp On It Something that’s truly special about the museum is the interactive nature of its programming—this place isn’t about standing back and staring.—
Paul J. Heney,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
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With a smirk on his face, Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman interrupted the question.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
14 Apr. 2026
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Barcelona, created by a small group of rock-and-roll writers from Buenos Aires, approached news stories from Argentina and around the world with a smirk.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Frown.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frown. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
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