as in frowning
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in glaring
to look with anger or disapproval
baseball fans glowering at their TVs as they watched their favorite team lose
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in darkening
to take on a gloomy or forbidding look
the old man just sat in his rocking chair, his face glowering at the prospect of unwanted company
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of glowering
Greg Beacham, Chicago Tribune, 3 Jan. 2026
The girl looks at her mother glowering in the doorway.
—Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
Looming behind them is a group of bearded, glowering militants, dressed in tunics and turbans, some holding assault rifles.
—T. M. Brown, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2025
Linda hustles the two of them to a nearby motel whose only employees are a surly young goth attendant (a glowering Ivy Wolk) and a sympathetic, mildly flirty super (A$AP Rocky, laidback and breezy).
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
At seventy-nine, the commander in chief looked awful, his jowly, glowering face more tired and orange than ever, his porcine eyes extra puffy.
—Seth Harp, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
His ever-glowering face on the sideline has sparked countless memes and has come to personify the sharp-eyed, no-nonsense manner in which these Hoosiers have rocketed through the sport in just two seasons.
—Greg Beacham, Chicago Tribune, 3 Jan. 2026
The girl looks at her mother glowering in the doorway.
—Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
Looming behind them is a group of bearded, glowering militants, dressed in tunics and turbans, some holding assault rifles.
—T. M. Brown, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2025
Linda hustles the two of them to a nearby motel whose only employees are a surly young goth attendant (a glowering Ivy Wolk) and a sympathetic, mildly flirty super (A$AP Rocky, laidback and breezy).
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
At seventy-nine, the commander in chief looked awful, his jowly, glowering face more tired and orange than ever, his porcine eyes extra puffy.
—Seth Harp, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for glowering
Verb
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But oily skin that puts a glaring spotlight on your T-zone and nasolabial folds?—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Teams with some glaring vulnerabilities, but also some great wins.—
Brendan Marks,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Simon also said that darkening retail doors can be filled by growing businesses as Life Time health clubs, House of Sports, which is a relatively new concept from Dick’s Sporting Goods, and space can be repurposed to mixed uses, including outdoor uses.—
David Moin,
Footwear News,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Use room-darkening shades and blackout curtains to prevent light from seeping in to interrupt your shut-eye.—
Kylie Petty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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Grejo sank scowling back into his chair as though stung by Adi’s answer.—
Jonathan Miles,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
Adjective
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My father was also sullen from the vodka, and after grumbling some would fall asleep on his grungy sleeper berth.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
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And Venter’s fiery and edgy Jessie May is sullen, controlling and cruel.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Jordan Stolz, sitting opposite of the finish line staring at a large video board, looked at his coach and nodded.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Most of the crowd is talking quietly among themselves, oblivious to Trevor Yeakley’s gaze, except for two men staring daggers right back at him.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Glowering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/glowering. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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