Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

scowl

American  
[skoul] / skaʊl /

verb (used without object)

  1. to draw down or contract the brows in a sullen, displeased, or angry manner.

    Synonyms:
    glare, lower, frown

  2. to have a gloomy or threatening look.

    Synonyms:
    gloom, glower

verb (used with object)

  1. to affect or express with a scowl.

noun

  1. a scowling expression, look, or aspect.

scowl British  
/ skaʊl /

verb

  1. (intr) to contract the brows in a threatening or angry manner

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a gloomy or threatening expression

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • scowler noun
  • scowlful adjective
  • scowlingly adverb
  • unscowling adjective
  • unscowlingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of scowl

1300–50; Middle English scoulen (v.); perhaps < Scandinavian; compare Danish skule to scowl, Norwegian skule to look furtively, though these may be < Low German schūlen to spy

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

With his practiced executive scowl and scripted boardroom catchphrase, “You’re fired!,” the show burnished his image as a decisive billionaire dealmaker, even as his real-life business results were far less impressive.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

But it was his grittiest—and that’s all Indiana needed for its famously stony coach to drop the scowl.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026

CNN reported that, as Daniels spoke, Trump was "looking straight ahead with a scowl on his face."

From Salon • May 7, 2024

Shroff added: “You’re always worried you have it wrong. You’ve misread the scowl or the smile. Maybe they aren’t smiling at you; just thinking about a movie they saw and liked.”

From Seattle Times • Apr. 17, 2024

With a scowl, he thrust the bear at Lissa.

From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.