as in scowling
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
as in glaring
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of frowning
Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026
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
Many of the drawings show faces, and most of the faces are frowning.
—Mckenzie Funk, ProPublica, 26 Feb. 2026
The men stood frowning at each other and then back at Adi until the one without the gun broke into croaks of laughter.
—Jonathan Miles, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Smiling can actually lift your mood, while frowning can lower it.
—Valerie Monroe, Allure, 15 Jan. 2026
One mask depicts a frowning hobo with a 5 o'clock shadow that represents the aforementioned vagrant.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Dec. 2025
Derek Hinkey’s character, the Shoshone warrior Red Feather, is almost always frowning at white settlers, looking undeniably foreboding with his face slathered in black paint and galloping on horseback into battle.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Verb
Woods, 50, is seen frowning in the photo, taken shortly after the legendary golfer was booked into jail on March 27 after his Land Rover rolled over in Jupiter Island, Florida.
—Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026
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
Many of the drawings show faces, and most of the faces are frowning.
—Mckenzie Funk, ProPublica, 26 Feb. 2026
The men stood frowning at each other and then back at Adi until the one without the gun broke into croaks of laughter.
—Jonathan Miles, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Smiling can actually lift your mood, while frowning can lower it.
—Valerie Monroe, Allure, 15 Jan. 2026
One mask depicts a frowning hobo with a 5 o'clock shadow that represents the aforementioned vagrant.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Dec. 2025
Derek Hinkey’s character, the Shoshone warrior Red Feather, is almost always frowning at white settlers, looking undeniably foreboding with his face slathered in black paint and galloping on horseback into battle.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frowning
Verb
-
Modern tiki tends to take a lighter touch, using more abstract graphics, less imagery of women and scowling gods.—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
-
But there’s more to Brind’Amour than the person fans see screaming and scowling behind the bench or stomping around the dressing room in a postwin video looking like some combination of Godzilla and Chris Farley’s famous Matt Foley character.—
Cory Lavalette,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
Of course, plenty can happen between now and then, but those have been the most glaring weaknesses for a team that is second to the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
-
With the United States men’s national team’s 26-man roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup confirmed on Tuesday afternoon at Pier 17 in Manhattan, midfielder Diego Luna’s absence from Mauricio Pochettino’s squad is the most glaring.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
Instead, The Mandalorian and Grogu is staring at a third-place finish behind writer-director Curry Barker’s Obsession.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2026
-
Shaina laid on her cot all night, staring at the ceiling, processing all the ways her life was changing.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
Now, in a more intimate setting, the sullen and sometimes-sarcastic shadings of this longtime singer-songwriter should hark back to Folds’ fledgling days on the alt-music scene.—
David L. Coddon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 May 2026
-
Sometimes someone’s sullen or preoccupied or way too wound up.—
Risa Polansky Shiman,
Sun Sentinel,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
Selena Gomez leaves the set of Only Murders in the Building season 6 in a classic gray sweater in London on May 27.—
People Staff,
PEOPLE,
30 May 2026
-
The contrast between the dark gray dress and white body suit is perfect for Gauff’s Paris evening wear.—
Merlisa Lawrence Corbett,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Frowning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frowning. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
