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
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
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
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
May wears a smile more often than not, while Underwood is more associated with a perpetual scowl.
—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
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
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
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Numbers might be up, but frowns are also up.
-
Turning a smile into a frown, or a frown into a smile.
Verb
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The glaring issue in England’s group stage performance stems from the drop-off in goal production from the opener to the final two matches.
-
Klingebiel believes that some cuts to development may be appropriate, if all federal budgets (with the glaring exception of defense) are also tightening their belts.
Noun
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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.
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And Ahmed, with his fearful eyes and tense grimace, makes for a compellingly sad and isolated figure.
Verb
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Now, yes, staring at the ceiling long enough to draw you a diagram of the paint peeling.
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In Taiwan, a student sitting for an entrance exam for a top medical school was discovered wearing smart glasses after proctors noticed the student staring oddly at the test, leading to an inspection that revealed the frame was emitting heat.
Noun
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Roy interjected with the mischievous smirk typical of a younger brother trying to ruffle some feathers.
-
Her roundup began with a photo of a shadow holding a wine glass outdoors, followed by a selfie with a smirk.
Cite this Entry
“Scowl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scowl. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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