as in grimace
a twisting of the facial features in disgust or disapproval
the man across the street never seems to wear anything but a scowl
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scowl
Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 11 July 2025
And only after stomping around for almost two full minutes did Roberts finally retreat, trudging back to the clubhouse with a scowl on his face.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2025
Aatish Taseer, Time, 15 July 2025
The dancers are slinky rather than angular, grinning rather than scowling, frisky rather than tough.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for scowl
Noun
Serve up in a stemmed glass, and garnish with a scowl, or perhaps a war story.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 11 July 2025
And only after stomping around for almost two full minutes did Roberts finally retreat, trudging back to the clubhouse with a scowl on his face.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2025
Verb
The sight of its famous red masthead enclosing a scowling image of India’s leader produced a visceral reaction within the country.
—Aatish Taseer, Time, 15 July 2025
The dancers are slinky rather than angular, grinning rather than scowling, frisky rather than tough.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for scowl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scowl
Noun
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Thomas turned around and squeezed DeChambeau’s leg with anxiety, his face in a nervous grimace.—
Brody Miller,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
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Per the season's sneak peek, this year's voyage pairs steamy trysts among the crew with some grimace-worthy incidents, from jellyfish sightings and jet ski accidents (and what looks to be a lone charter guest floating out to sea on a raft).—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Mariners defense worries me, but there’s not an American League team that doesn’t have a glaring flaw.—
The Athletic MLB Staff,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
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Per some glaring social media posts that went viral last week, the distributor seemingly used AI to face swap a male character with the face of a woman.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Chris’s kids noticed how his smile melted into a frown.—
Juli Fraga,
Time,
23 Sep. 2025
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The two facial expressions are literally inversions of each other — as the song says, a smile is just a frown turned upside down.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That video showed the cat staring sadly through a glass pane, showcasing yet again the intensity of her feelings about being separated from her owner.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
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The turnaround at Ralph Lauren Ralph Lauren was staring irrelevance in the face when Procter & Gamble veteran Patrice Louvet took over as CEO and brought the fashion brand back to its luxury roots.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scowl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scowl. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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