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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Recent Examples of scowl
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
Laura Dern’s scowl is one of the great wonders of American movies.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2025
Keith O’Brien, The Atlantic, 17 Jan. 2026
Part of me believes that, if Indiana wins, Cignetti should retire after this season and spend the rest of his life on a beach, scowling at resort attendants and being basically unimpeachable forever.
—Will Leitch, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scowl
Noun
One of the series’ most creative elements is the variety of scowls Graham deploys while arguing with Hezekiah, Mary, or his younger brother, Treacle (James Nelson-Joyce), a pragmatic family man who represents everything Sugar’s life could have been if he weren’t filled with so much self-loathing.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
Laura Dern’s scowl is one of the great wonders of American movies.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2025
Verb
And Cignetti has coached this team up, scowling from the sidelines, all the way to the championship game.
—Keith O’Brien, The Atlantic, 17 Jan. 2026
Part of me believes that, if Indiana wins, Cignetti should retire after this season and spend the rest of his life on a beach, scowling at resort attendants and being basically unimpeachable forever.
—Will Leitch, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scowl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scowl
Noun
-
Carpenter responded with a quizzical frown.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Not a quiver in his lips, yet his frown growing.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
3 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Beyond a glaring betrayal of the medium the Drafthouse once sought to exalt, the QR policy single-handedly reduces the theater from a sacred space to just another room, which is an illusion that even AMC nominally pledges to maintain.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2026
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At first, López held up his hands as the two glared at each other before both started throwing punches.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
And Ahmed, with his fearful eyes and tense grimace, makes for a compellingly sad and isolated figure.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Charlie Lindgren’s grimace was evident behind his mask.—
Bailey Johnson,
Washington Post,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Naturally, Williams falls into the pool and uses the opportunity to take off his wet shirt, causing all the women, as well as the waitstaff, to helplessly stare at him.—
Tiffany Kelly,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Apr. 2026
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Put Your Stamp On It Something that’s truly special about the museum is the interactive nature of its programming—this place isn’t about standing back and staring.—
Paul J. Heney,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
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With a smirk on his face, Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman interrupted the question.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
14 Apr. 2026
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Barcelona, created by a small group of rock-and-roll writers from Buenos Aires, approached news stories from Argentina and around the world with a smirk.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scowl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scowl. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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