as in scowling
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Dissimilar Words
as in glaring
to look with anger or disapproval
the boss just stood there and frowned at his assistant who, once again, was in trouble
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of frowning
Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 31 Mar. 2026
Subscribers and consumer advocates may be frowning on Netflix’s latest price hikes, but Wall Street is celebrating the move.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2026
Many of the drawings show faces, and most of the faces are frowning.
—Mckenzie Funk, ProPublica, 26 Feb. 2026
The men stood frowning at each other and then back at Adi until the one without the gun broke into croaks of laughter.
—Jonathan Miles, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Smiling can actually lift your mood, while frowning can lower it.
—Valerie Monroe, Allure, 15 Jan. 2026
One mask depicts a frowning hobo with a 5 o'clock shadow that represents the aforementioned vagrant.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Dec. 2025
Derek Hinkey’s character, the Shoshone warrior Red Feather, is almost always frowning at white settlers, looking undeniably foreboding with his face slathered in black paint and galloping on horseback into battle.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Neither smiling nor frowning, her gaze seems one of purpose.
—Jennifer Brett, Nashville Tennessean, 16 Nov. 2025
Verb
Hubbard posted an image of herself with a disgusted look on her face from earlier in Season 10, while Dillard shared a photo of himself frowning, also from a scene in the show.
—Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 31 Mar. 2026
Subscribers and consumer advocates may be frowning on Netflix’s latest price hikes, but Wall Street is celebrating the move.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2026
Many of the drawings show faces, and most of the faces are frowning.
—Mckenzie Funk, ProPublica, 26 Feb. 2026
The men stood frowning at each other and then back at Adi until the one without the gun broke into croaks of laughter.
—Jonathan Miles, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Smiling can actually lift your mood, while frowning can lower it.
—Valerie Monroe, Allure, 15 Jan. 2026
One mask depicts a frowning hobo with a 5 o'clock shadow that represents the aforementioned vagrant.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Dec. 2025
Derek Hinkey’s character, the Shoshone warrior Red Feather, is almost always frowning at white settlers, looking undeniably foreboding with his face slathered in black paint and galloping on horseback into battle.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Neither smiling nor frowning, her gaze seems one of purpose.
—Jennifer Brett, Nashville Tennessean, 16 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frowning
Verb
-
He was picked up first on meth charges on May 14, 1986, according to news reports and a San Francisco police booking photo, which shows him in a blue hoodie scowling into the camera.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Then there was that image circulating in the bowels of the internet that showed a man who looked exactly like JD scowling at an unidentifiable brunette woman in a restaurant.—
Elise Taylor,
Vanity Fair,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Those who knew the couple told the Herald there were no glaring red flags.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
4 Apr. 2026
-
But the drop in shot attempts is most glaring — and the most damning indictment of Brown’s new offense.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Joan and Lynn were staring at Louise with entirely blank expressions.—
Catherine Lacey,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Our first glimpse of her, before this road trip, was staring blankly, maybe suicidally, into a river.—
Jake Coyle,
Boston Herald,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But the boy had become impatient and sullen, his hands shoved in the pockets of his jacket.—
Cassandra Neyenesch,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Although Robbins could be talkative and engaging particularly when discussing his hometown Houston sports teams, there were also periods of sullen silence and self-medication.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Rooms are in muted tones of grey, green, and dusky blue, and even the smallest have plenty of space with king-size beds and a table and chairs—the city views are more interesting, but the ones overlooking the courtyard have dinky Juliette balconies as a consolation.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Apr. 2026
-
On a gray afternoon in the days before Easter, a dozen or so schoolchildren straggled into a side building at Rochester Cathedral and began their transformation.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Frowning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frowning. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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