1
as in glaring
to look with anger or disapproval
baseball fans glowering at their TVs as they watched their favorite team lose
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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
as in frowning
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of glowering
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$AP Rocky, laidback and breezy).
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
At seventy-nine, the commander in chief looked awful, his jowly, glowering face more tired and orange than ever, his porcine eyes extra puffy.
—Seth Harp, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Looming behind them is a group of bearded, glowering militants, dressed in tunics and turbans, some holding assault rifles.
—T. M. Brown, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2025
Linda hustles the two of them to a nearby motel whose only employees are a surly young goth attendant (a glowering Ivy Wolk) and a sympathetic, mildly flirty super (A$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
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The various researchers The Athletic spoke to point to a glaring dearth of research into menstrual cycles and optimal hormone levels of different ethnicities.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
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This list cuts through the noise, ambitious announcements, and glaring projections.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Another popular and highly rated blackout option, Sun Zero curtains are designed with theater-grade room-darkening and noise-dampening capabilities, providing 100% sun blockage and, notably, UPF 50+ UV protection.—
Shoko Wanger,
Architectural Digest,
6 Oct. 2025
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Heavy fuel oil also produces black carbon, a kind of soot that can settle on the ice and accelerate melt by darkening the surface, meaning more of the sun’s energy is absorbed.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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His lashes are long, the eyes deep-set, large and intense, staring piercingly into you.—
Touré,
Rolling Stone,
14 Oct. 2025
-
The video shows a woman seated in a window seat staring ahead while listening to the pilot’s announcement on the plane.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In terms of my entry point to him, just understanding that this wasn’t a monster that was going to be scowling in the shadows and looking for any opportunity to hurt someone.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
7 Oct. 2025
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Ray’s brother, Jem (Sean Bean), has shown up to reconnect, and for a long time these two sit around not saying very much, pouring drinks and scowling at each other, at one point getting their ya-yas out with a midnight rock ‘n’ roll dance, then scowling some more.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Meanwhile, Malcolm is only getting drunker and more sullen as the reception progresses.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Mark, with his fighting regimen, is a lot to handle, but so is Dawn, who’s a rather sullen party-girl princess.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
1 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Glowering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/glowering. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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