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
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 17 Sep. 2025
Serve up in a stemmed glass, and garnish with a scowl, or perhaps a war story.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 11 July 2025
Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for scowl
Noun
And then there’s the U.S. Army officer who succeeds in apprehending Perfidia: Col. Steven J. Lockjaw, played in a graying military fade, with some fur on top and a martinet scowl, by Sean Penn.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 17 Sep. 2025
Serve up in a stemmed glass, and garnish with a scowl, or perhaps a war story.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 11 July 2025
Verb
Cena has been delivering his signature sharp mic work, routinely dominating verbal exchanges while Paul has been forced to scowl while the master gets in all of his barbs and sons him at every opportunity.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
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
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 proposal stalled, but Republicans saw it as a glaring federal overreach.—
Emma Green,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
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The various researchers The Athletic spoke to point to a glaring dearth of research into menstrual cycles and optimal hormone levels of different ethnicities.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But Thursday, as Latu relived the play in the locker room, his frustration manifested itself into a frown.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
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There's room for laughs amid the tears and smiles amid the frowns.—
David Oliver,
USA Today,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In the first photo, Johnson East's daughter was on her back and wearing a headset, staring at the ceiling.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
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The one on the far right is where my grandmother, Teta Ibtihaj, lies staring at the ceiling.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scowl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scowl. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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