as in grimace
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
John T. Shaw, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2025
Rossini has replaced disdain with dedication and swapped out scowls for smiles.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 22 May 2025
Caroline Framke, Vulture, 22 May 2025
Editors’ Picks Fired Federal Worker Flirts on Finch Mr. Trump scowled when one of Mr. Ramaphosa’s aides, a Black woman, tried to explain that brutal crimes in general are a problem in South Africa.
—Zolan Kanno-Youngs, New York Times, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for scowl
Noun
The most unforgettable image for me was Usha Vance, the wife of Vice President JD Vance, who looked on intently as the bishop spoke, ignoring her husband’s angry scowl.
—John T. Shaw, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2025
Rossini has replaced disdain with dedication and swapped out scowls for smiles.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 22 May 2025
Verb
Smash-cut to: a scowling woman leaving a police station in a black minidress and the telltale thick eyeliner smudge of A Woman Who Doesn’t Have Her Life Together.
—Caroline Framke, Vulture, 22 May 2025
Editors’ Picks Fired Federal Worker Flirts on Finch Mr. Trump scowled when one of Mr. Ramaphosa’s aides, a Black woman, tried to explain that brutal crimes in general are a problem in South Africa.
—Zolan Kanno-Youngs, New York Times, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for scowl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scowl
Noun
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Throughout baseball history, such collisions have been met mostly with grimaces and shrugs.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2025
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Monday’s developments were greeted with grimace around town.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Just as the Rockies were assembling a roster that produced consecutive playoff berths for the first time in franchise history in 2017 and ’18, the club had three glaring misses in the draft.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
12 July 2025
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The Glaring Problem With the Rebate Programs Which brings up a glaring problem with both rebate programs: how few states have implemented them.—
Rob Pegoraro,
PC Magazine,
11 July 2025
Noun
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Beantown frowns at each breaking news sounder on talk radio or ESPN insider post on social media.—
Bill Speros,
Boston Herald,
2 July 2025
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Jamie frowns and starts to twist a little on his barstool, turning to face the ocean — and away from me.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
People.com,
12 June 2025
Verb
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The proud dad shared an adorable new photo with their little one on Instagram Wednesday, July 3 On Wednesday, July 2, Irwin's husband, Chandler Powell, 28, shared an adorable Instagram photo of Grace Warrior Irwin Powell staring in amazement at a rainbow.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
People.com,
4 July 2025
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On the left, 23-month-old Riot Rose sucks on a pacifier and stares apathetically at his mom before hiding behind the shade canopy of his carseat, seemingly having pulled it over himself to avoid his mom’s camera lens.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
3 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scowl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scowl. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.
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