as in frowning
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1
as in glaring
to look with anger or disapproval
baseball fans glowering at their TVs as they watched their favorite team lose
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in darkening
to take on a gloomy or forbidding look
the old man just sat in his rocking chair, his face glowering at the prospect of unwanted company
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of glowering
Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
His ever-glowering face on the sideline has sparked countless memes and has come to personify the sharp-eyed, no-nonsense manner in which these Hoosiers have rocketed through the sport in just two seasons.
—Greg Beacham, Chicago Tribune, 3 Jan. 2026
The girl looks at her mother glowering in the doorway.
—Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
Looming behind them is a group of bearded, glowering militants, dressed in tunics and turbans, some holding assault rifles.
—T. M. Brown, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2025
Linda hustles the two of them to a nearby motel whose only employees are a surly young goth attendant (a glowering Ivy Wolk) and a sympathetic, mildly flirty super (A$AP Rocky, laidback and breezy).
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
At seventy-nine, the commander in chief looked awful, his jowly, glowering face more tired and orange than ever, his porcine eyes extra puffy.
—Seth Harp, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
It’s been broadly debated whether the novel actually is a love story between the snobbish Cathy and the glowering Heathcliff.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
His ever-glowering face on the sideline has sparked countless memes and has come to personify the sharp-eyed, no-nonsense manner in which these Hoosiers have rocketed through the sport in just two seasons.
—Greg Beacham, Chicago Tribune, 3 Jan. 2026
The girl looks at her mother glowering in the doorway.
—Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
Looming behind them is a group of bearded, glowering militants, dressed in tunics and turbans, some holding assault rifles.
—T. M. Brown, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2025
Linda hustles the two of them to a nearby motel whose only employees are a surly young goth attendant (a glowering Ivy Wolk) and a sympathetic, mildly flirty super (A$AP Rocky, laidback and breezy).
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
At seventy-nine, the commander in chief looked awful, his jowly, glowering face more tired and orange than ever, his porcine eyes extra puffy.
—Seth Harp, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for glowering
Verb
-
From coast to coast, local governments are grappling with the glaring public transportation question.—
Lilly Kersh,
Dallas Morning News,
28 Mar. 2026
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Gas prices are higher in Arizona by more than a dollar from a year before, and the spike was glaring in metro Phoenix where the average price of regular gasoline was quickly inching to $5 per gallon.—
Jose R. Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Two things persuaded Haagy to shelve his own plant research and zero in on the mystery of sky-darkening smog.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
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Oh, and the grief was almost a person of its own, darkening the minds of some of the characters as much as any lightless corridor could darken a space.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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Then there was that image circulating in the bowels of the internet that showed a man who looked exactly like JD scowling at an unidentifiable brunette woman in a restaurant.—
Elise Taylor,
Vanity Fair,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
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Many of the drawings show faces, and most of the faces are frowning.—
McKenzie Funk,
ProPublica,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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But the boy had become impatient and sullen, his hands shoved in the pockets of his jacket.—
Cassandra Neyenesch,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
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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
Verb
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Who could forget a picture, which graced the cover of Artforum more than a decade ago, of an uncannily adult baby staring sagaciously into the lens, its hand placed gingerly over its heart in a gesture that looks like reverence?—
Chris Wiley,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
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Police said security footage from the store shows customers staring and retreating before 53-year-old Tammy Canut of North Huntingdon walks into the frame naked.—
Meghan Schiller,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Glowering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/glowering. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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