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
Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
If Simmons’ Demon was Kiss’ scowl, then Frehley’s Spaceman was its cackle.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 11 Dec. 2025
Behar scowled at Goldberg's comment, which opened the floodgates for the remaining panelists.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scowl
Noun
And on Saturday, another bout with foul trouble left him with a permanently piercing scowl.
—Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
If Simmons’ Demon was Kiss’ scowl, then Frehley’s Spaceman was its cackle.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
Picture Andy Warhol scowling in the corner of the billiards room.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 11 Dec. 2025
Behar scowled at Goldberg's comment, which opened the floodgates for the remaining panelists.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scowl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scowl
Noun
-
Not a quiver in his lips, yet his frown growing.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
3 Dec. 2025
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My best friend Russell is an acupuncturist, and seemed like the perfect person to place my tape, slapping it on my frown lines, crow’s-feet, and nasolabial folds.—
Lena Dunham,
Vogue,
19 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Many neuroscientists at the time likened astrocytes’ newfound properties to those of neurons, but in retrospect the differences seem glaring.—
Ingrid Wickelgren,
Quanta Magazine,
30 Jan. 2026
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Enoch confronts the celestial hosts, all wearing capes of swastika red under an oppressive horizon of jutting lightning and glaring orange mountains.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Texas basketball coach Sean Miller glanced over the stat sheet after Saturday’s 74-70 home loss to rival Texas A&M with a grimace before stating the obvious.—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
21 Jan. 2026
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So, the publicists, makeup team and fellow members of the press — all of us peering out of the floor-to-ceiling windows with a grimace — begin doing just that.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Social media users have stared deep into that footage, and some have seen their own reflection.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
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What's captivating enough about Freescape's van that show goer after show goer can't help but to stop and stare, at least momentarily, is the unique pop-up roof system, a patented design that's being called the first of its kind.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The bus drivers do nothing to enforce the rules, and we seniors are left trudging down the bus aisle while the people in the seats smirk, look at their phones and talk to each other.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
20 Jan. 2026
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In the video, Castela sings these words with a knowing smirk.—
Carolina Abbott Galvão,
The Dial,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scowl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scowl. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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