as in glared
to look with anger or disapproval
the boss just stood there and frowned at his assistant who, once again, was in trouble
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Recent Examples of frowned
Sitting on a purple-and-gold sofa, Mamdani tasted his biryani and frowned.
—
Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
That wasn’t something that was frowned upon.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2025
Upholstered Furniture Unlike damage furniture, buying secondhand upholstered pieces isn't as frowned upon, but Morse recommends looking over each piece with a careful eye to determine if this item will be a good investment.
—Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 14 Sep. 2025
And it is generally frowned upon to ask other burners for water.
—Denver Nicks, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2025
In Israel it is frowned upon to criticize the nation, especially in front of outsiders.
—Uriel Kon
september 2, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
This being the prohibition era, the law frowned upon the alcohol consumption, to say nothing of the other recreational activities available at Top O’ Hill.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Aug. 2025
It was frowned upon to fraternize with opposing players during batting practice, so hugging them in the first inning would be totally out of the question.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2025
Though frowned upon by watchdogs as a temporary solution to fiscal problems, Johnson administration officials have made clear TIF sweeps will continue, with little pushback from the council.
—A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025
Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
That wasn’t something that was frowned upon.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2025
Upholstered Furniture Unlike damage furniture, buying secondhand upholstered pieces isn't as frowned upon, but Morse recommends looking over each piece with a careful eye to determine if this item will be a good investment.
—Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 14 Sep. 2025
And it is generally frowned upon to ask other burners for water.
—Denver Nicks, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2025
In Israel it is frowned upon to criticize the nation, especially in front of outsiders.
—Uriel Kon
september 2, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
This being the prohibition era, the law frowned upon the alcohol consumption, to say nothing of the other recreational activities available at Top O’ Hill.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Aug. 2025
It was frowned upon to fraternize with opposing players during batting practice, so hugging them in the first inning would be totally out of the question.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2025
Though frowned upon by watchdogs as a temporary solution to fiscal problems, Johnson administration officials have made clear TIF sweeps will continue, with little pushback from the council.
—A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frowned
Verb
-
New Amy spent the first season being glared at by most of the staff, because Old Amy was 10 times worse than that colleague who keeps reheating fish in the microwave.—
Julie Hinds,
Freep.com,
23 Sep. 2025
-
Perry glared back at them but did not reply.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Then, in the 1980s, Anne stared as Veronica Rooney on the hit sitcom Archie Bunker’s Place, a role that added two more Emmy nods to her roster.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
-
So in the moments after takeoff, Higginbotham always stared at his watch, heart pounding, counting the seconds to a minute.—
Rustin Dodd,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Frowned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frowned. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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