POUTING Synonyms: 113 Similar and Opposite Words

pouting 1 of 2

adjective

as in pouty

given to or displaying a resentful silence and often irritability stayed in a pouting mood until her boyfriend apologized, though he didn't have the vaguest idea what he was apologizing for

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

pouting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of pout

as in protruding

to extend outward beyond a usual point her lips pouted as she glared at him silently

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in frowning

to silently go about in a bad mood pouted and didn't say a word to anyone all morning

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 pouting

Verb

During the first day of the charter, Sandy notices that Nathan is punishing Joe for pouting in the previous charter, which wins her over to Joe’s side. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026 Kardashian was snapped sitting in front of the pair, pouting while flashing a peace sign at the camera during a break from filming. — Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026 Some people will probably be pouting in those debriefs. — Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026 My introduction to Peters came late last year, when Instagram’s algorithm served me a video of him wearing a baseball cap, primping and pouting for the camera. — Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 19 Jan. 2026 He’s never been seen publicly pouting or seeming unhappy. — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 5 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pouting

Adjective

For those who take pride in their pouty lips (or their ability to talk their way out of just about anything), a swipe of lipstick and nothing else is a cool way to look put together without the hustle of actually putting yourself together.

— Loren Savini, Allure, 4 Sep. 2026
The bend-over-at-your-own-risk-tight culottes with the pouty flare where no flare should ever be.

— Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 25 July 2026

Definition of pouty

Verb

Once fished to the brink of extinction globally, sand tiger sharks, that iconic aquarium shark with a jaw of protruding, jagged teeth that only a mother could love, have been increasing in the Boston Harbor over the last decade.

— Asia London Palomba, Christian Science Monitor, 20 Oct. 2026
The face is a glossy black plastic with the exterior lenses slightly protruding, keeping the front from looking like a single flat surface.

— Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of protruding

Verb

Looking on was Trooper Major, body camera footage shows, frowning in the sun as the deputies followed guidance from a portable defibrillator device.

— Brittany Wallman, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2026
This focuses readers on the all-black uniforms of the veiled pupils, who—in a long frame at the center of the page—sit between the looming, frowning teacher on the right and Marji on the left, who stands up to explain that her uncle was executed by the Islamic regime.

— Hillary Chute, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026

Definition of frowning

Adjective

Murray says her own experience has made her more understanding when female colleagues seem more tired or irritable than usual, particularly when the behavior is out of character.

— Jo Ann Liguori, Flow Space, 21 Oct. 2026
Could be because for much of the running time, Abrams’ Jay Gardiner is up against what looks like a very large irritable sphincter.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of irritable

Verb

My physical study, on the floor, poking at what was there in the open field of the air, led to newfound levels of learning to process, in poems on the page, where my initial feelings of hunger came from.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
In a recent interview with OutKick Dropkick, Hefner was already poking the bear in hopes of getting eyes on his event.

— Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of poking

Verb

That is one of the tantalizing questions bubbling up in A Talent for Murder, in which Helen Mirren embodies Highsmith in all her devious, scowling genius.

— Caryn James, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026
Whether his teams were good or bad, his outspoken and occasionally scowling personality almost always commanded the room.

— Carl Steward, Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of scowling

Adjective

Suzanne, the sulky, artistic type, scowls and pointedly ignores their noisy energy.

— Jessica Kiang, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026
Skillfully carrying the tale as Kimberly is Ann Morrison, marvelously placing the qualities of a bubbly when not sulky teen in the voice and body of an older woman.

— Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 25 Feb. 2026

Definition of sulky

Verb

In the grayness that should have been sunrise that morning, dark clouds sagged baggily over the very treetops, bulging as if ready to split under their liquid weight.

— Gerald R. Hunter, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026
Simmons has been out since training camp, with what head coach Andy Reid more recently called a bulging disc in his back.

— Sam McDowell October 12, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of bulging

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pouted

pouting

pouts

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“Pouting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pouting. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of pouting

adjective

verb

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