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
Scott Tobias, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2026
Muhammad Ali glowering over a fallen Sonny Liston in 1965?
—Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2026
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$AP Rocky, laidback and breezy).
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
At seventy-nine, the commander in chief looked awful, his jowly, glowering face more tired and orange than ever, his porcine eyes extra puffy.
—Seth Harp, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
This leads to a lively scene where Carl and his glowering right-hand man make an impromptu visit to Hypergnosis headquarters and demand a demonstration of Duncan’s snooping network.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2026
Muhammad Ali glowering over a fallen Sonny Liston in 1965?
—Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2026
It’s been broadly debated whether the novel actually is a love story between the snobbish Cathy and the glowering Heathcliff.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
His ever-glowering face on the sideline has sparked countless memes and has come to personify the sharp-eyed, no-nonsense manner in which these Hoosiers have rocketed through the sport in just two seasons.
—Greg Beacham, Chicago Tribune, 3 Jan. 2026
The girl looks at her mother glowering in the doorway.
—Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
Looming behind them is a group of bearded, glowering militants, dressed in tunics and turbans, some holding assault rifles.
—T. M. Brown, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2025
Linda hustles the two of them to a nearby motel whose only employees are a surly young goth attendant (a glowering Ivy Wolk) and a sympathetic, mildly flirty super (A$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
-
Rick Bayless, the James Beard Award-winning chef whose family foundation made the gift, said the project fills a glaring gap in Chicago’s cultural landscape.—
Eva Remijan-Toba,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 2026
-
Austin Reaves, a glaring missing piece in the series opener, bounced back with a playoff career-high 31 points, but that wasn’t nearly enough for the Lakers to overcome their 21 turnovers in a 125-107 defeat.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Thanks to a collaboration between Architecture Outfit and Damon Liss Design, the space holds a coastal luxury design where large windows naturally illuminate the room, darkening as day turns to night.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 May 2026
-
The industry is grappling with these logistical hurdles against a backdrop of darkening economic sentiment.—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
Footwear News,
23 Apr. 2026
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
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
Adjective
-
Sometimes someone’s sullen or preoccupied or way too wound up.—
Risa Polansky Shiman,
Sun Sentinel,
6 May 2026
-
Everybody, including the president’s stern chief of security (Thomas Aquino), is skeptical of Creasy’s preparedness for the job, but Paul welcomes Creasy to multiple dinners with his family, including sullen teenage daughter Poe (Billie Boullet).—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
So, sometimes silence and solitude is necessary, and just like sitting on a plane watching nothing, doing nothing, just staring blankly at … it's called raw-dogging a flight.—
Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
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According to the criminal complaint in that case, a woman at a coffee shop drive-thru reported seeing a man, later identified as Trepanier, at the back of the building with his pants down and masturbating while staring at her.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Glowering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/glowering. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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