SCOWL Synonyms: 37 Similar and Opposite Words

scowl 1 of 2

noun

Definition of scowl

as in frown

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

scowl

2 of 2

verb

ˈskau̇(-ə)l

as in to glare

to look with anger or disapproval scowled down at the misbehaving child

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 scowl

Noun

This means a scowl is relatively likely to be an expression of anger. — Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 3 May 2026 Leaving home without a hat, scarf, gloves, umbrella, and/or scowl. — Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2026

Verb

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 The note was written on Cohn’s personal stationery, imprinted with a scowling caricature of himself. — Kai Bird, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for scowl

Recent Examples of Synonyms for scowl

Noun

The late-night host teasingly drew his face into a frown in order to copy Washington’s facial expression.

— Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026
Lee indulges that emotional ambiguity, the way the pedal steel can blur the distinction between a frown and a smile.

— Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 20 July 2026

Definition of frown

Verb

The only glaring weakness was, once again, the superstar who used to be their strength.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
The company partnered with Corning to actually etch a unique texture into the glass itself that is meant to be richer, higher contrast, and less prone to glare than a typical display.

— David Pierce, The Verge, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of glare

Noun

During his cross-examination, the pain became obvious in McDonald’s grimace.

— Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026
In the fifth inning, Soto fouled a ball off his right leg, eliciting a grimace from him and attention from both an athletic trainer and Green.

— Will Sammon, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of grimace

Verb

Standing barefoot outside his home at 8th Street and Balboa Boulevard, holding a cup of coffee, Ross Stewart, 79, stared at the gray sky and at the berms.

— Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026
Even Albert Einstein famously sat in quiet rooms for hours staring at the ceiling, knowing his breakthroughs came from stillness, not the rush of the laboratory.

— Stephanie Kramer, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of stare

Browse Nearby Words

scow

scowl

scowled

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Style

“Scowl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scowl. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of scowl

noun

verb

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