as in scowling
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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
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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
-
My sister was scowling and pacing the path outside my mother’s flat.—
Douglas Stuart,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
-
He was picked up first on meth charges on May 14, 1986, according to news reports and a San Francisco police booking photo, which shows him in a blue hoodie scowling into the camera.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
An omission that feels increasingly glaring, and this season, could be damn near impossible to ignore.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
14 Apr. 2026
-
There’s a glaring hole in TCU’s secondary with the departure of free safety Bud Clark to the NFL.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Up on their hind legs, sitting around me, staring at me.—
Sabienna Bowman,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
-
After staring at the dog for 90 seconds, Green went back into his apartment and then threw a cutting board at the dog.—
Tim Fang,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But the boy had become impatient and sullen, his hands shoved in the pockets of his jacket.—
Cassandra Neyenesch,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Although Robbins could be talkative and engaging particularly when discussing his hometown Houston sports teams, there were also periods of sullen silence and self-medication.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The woman’s expression, painted in different shades of gray, is intentionally distorted in Picasso’s signature Cubist style.—
Jake McGowan,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The mission also revealed a new side of our planet with an Earthset photo, showing our Blue Marble setting behind the gray, pockmarked moon.—
Marcia Dunn,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Frowning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frowning. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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