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
John T. Shaw, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2025
Rossini has replaced disdain with dedication and swapped out scowls for smiles.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 22 May 2025
Caroline Framke, Vulture, 22 May 2025
Editors’ Picks Fired Federal Worker Flirts on Finch Mr. Trump scowled when one of Mr. Ramaphosa’s aides, a Black woman, tried to explain that brutal crimes in general are a problem in South Africa.
—Zolan Kanno-Youngs, New York Times, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for scowl
Noun
The most unforgettable image for me was Usha Vance, the wife of Vice President JD Vance, who looked on intently as the bishop spoke, ignoring her husband’s angry scowl.
—John T. Shaw, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2025
Rossini has replaced disdain with dedication and swapped out scowls for smiles.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 22 May 2025
Verb
Smash-cut to: a scowling woman leaving a police station in a black minidress and the telltale thick eyeliner smudge of A Woman Who Doesn’t Have Her Life Together.
—Caroline Framke, Vulture, 22 May 2025
Editors’ Picks Fired Federal Worker Flirts on Finch Mr. Trump scowled when one of Mr. Ramaphosa’s aides, a Black woman, tried to explain that brutal crimes in general are a problem in South Africa.
—Zolan Kanno-Youngs, New York Times, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for scowl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scowl
Noun
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Even though the couple filmed the skit after class to be respectful of the other participants, the sweat and grimaces weren’t just for show.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
9 June 2025
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At one point, Hunt emerges onto London’s Trafalgar Square and grimaces at the sight of a massive protest.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
14 May 2025
Verb
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Just as the Rockies were assembling a roster that produced consecutive playoff berths for the first time in franchise history in 2017 and ’18, the club had three glaring misses in the draft.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
12 July 2025
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President Trump on Friday surveyed the devastation from the catastrophic July 4 flooding in Texas as the death toll rose and questions swirled over glaring failures in the disaster preparedness plans.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
11 July 2025
Noun
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The muscles around his eyes darted inward, and a frown overtook his face.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 July 2025
-
Beantown frowns at each breaking news sounder on talk radio or ESPN insider post on social media.—
Bill Speros,
Boston Herald,
2 July 2025
Verb
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It’s described as a long, blank and expressionless stare in a variety of social situations.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
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Vortex Media has all rights in Canada to the film staring Maren Heary (She Said), Jim Kaplan (The Holdovers), Karsen Liotta (Black Bird), Dominic Bogart (Fear The Walking Dead), Emily Hall (Wrong Numbers) and Tenley Kellogg.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scowl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scowl. Accessed 26 Jul. 2025.
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