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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scowl
Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
His fierce disposition in competition — the scowl, the pumping of fists and the guttural yells after big plays — came in stark contrast to his off-court good nature and broad grins.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Douglas Stuart, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2026
Those that attended mostly sat and scowled.
—Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scowl
Noun
Despite having her arms almost permanently crossed and a scowl on her face, Ivy eventually starts to warm up, especially to her cheerful, horny-as-a-chihuahua cabin-mate Ella (Ruby Stokes, recently seen in Bridgerton and The Burning Girls).
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
His fierce disposition in competition — the scowl, the pumping of fists and the guttural yells after big plays — came in stark contrast to his off-court good nature and broad grins.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Verb
My sister was scowling and pacing the path outside my mother’s flat.
—Douglas Stuart, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2026
Those that attended mostly sat and scowled.
—Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scowl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scowl
Noun
-
Numbers might be up, but frowns are also up.—
Tasha Robinson,
Vulture,
16 June 2026
-
Turning a smile into a frown, or a frown into a smile.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
The glaring mental errors in his game are the problem.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
11 June 2026
-
In some cases, though, the glaring sign that an unpaid debt has gone from being delinquent to a serious issue is when a borrower can no longer access money in their bank account.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
He was immortalized in a perpetual full-body muscle flex, and bore the grimace of a guy who really, really wants to pick a fight.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
1 June 2026
-
And Ahmed, with his fearful eyes and tense grimace, makes for a compellingly sad and isolated figure.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Regrets are common enough after lives are lost — when the cost of conflict is staring you right in the face, dead-eyed and countless — and yet this specific contrition persists long before the ships crash, the arrows fly, and the dragons roar.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
15 June 2026
-
Most passengers spend a week living inside the ship, not staring at it from shore.—
David Nikel,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
Roy interjected with the mischievous smirk typical of a younger brother trying to ruffle some feathers.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
-
Her roundup began with a photo of a shadow holding a wine glass outdoors, followed by a selfie with a smirk.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scowl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scowl. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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