lowering
- dark and threatening, as the sky, clouds, or weather; overcast; gloomy: lowering skies.
- frowning or sullen, as the face or gaze; scowling; angry.
Origin of lowering
lower
1- to cause to descend; let or put down: to lower a flag.
- to make lower in height or level: to lower the water in a canal.
- to reduce in amount, price, degree, force, etc.
- to make less loud: Please lower your voice.
- to bring down in rank or estimation; degrade; humble; abase (oneself), as by some sacrifice of self-respect or dignity: His bad actions lowered him in my eyes.
- Music. to make lower in pitch; flatten.
- Phonetics. to alter the articulation of (a vowel) by increasing the distance of the tongue downward from the palate: The vowel of “clerk” is lowered to (ä) in the British pronunciation.
- to become lower, grow less, or diminish, as in amount, intensity, or degree: The brook lowers in early summer. Stock prices rise and lower constantly.
- to descend; sink: the sun lowering in the west.
- comparative of low1.
- of or relating to those portions of a river farthest from the source.
- (often initial capital letter) Stratigraphy. noting an early division of a period, system, or the like: the Lower Devonian.
- a denture for the lower jaw.
- a lower berth.
Origin of lower
1Synonyms for lower
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comAntonyms for lower
lower
2- to be dark and threatening, as the sky or the weather.
- to frown, scowl, or look sullen; glower: He lowers at people when he's in a bad mood.
- a dark, threatening appearance, as of the sky or weather.
- a frown or scowl.
Origin of lower
2Synonyms for lower
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comExamples from the Web for lowering
Contemporary Examples of lowering
In a new video, the Kentucky Republican brags about lowering the boom on sexual harasser Bob Packwood.
Under a lowering sky, the entourage crowds into two Hertz station wagons for the sixty mile drive to Las Cruces.
In fact, foes of abortion have opposed most every single public policy that contributes to lowering the abortion rate in America.
Ted Kennedy,” the aide continued, lowering his voice to a whisper for the punch line, “dead.
He was convinced that lowering income taxes—then as high as 91 percent—would spur economic growth.
The New New Left Is No New Frontier and JFK Was No LiberalJames L. Swanson, Michael F. Bishop
October 8, 2013
Historical Examples of lowering
With a lowering face he watched her descend and, his hand on the newel, confronted her.
VivietteWilliam J. Locke
People are not particular about lowering the blinds in the country.
In the Midst of AlarmsRobert Barr
There was no lowering of the eyelids when they confessed; no hangdog look about the mouth.
The UnderdogF. Hopkinson Smith
"Sure I do," answered the Nimrod, lowering his cheek to the stock of the gun.
With Trapper Jim in the North WoodsLawrence J. Leslie
Ghostly and dark the room became, and full of lowering shadows.
Life And Adventures Of Martin ChuzzlewitCharles Dickens
lower
1- being below one or more other thingsthe lower shelf; the lower animals
- reduced in amount or valuea lower price
- maths (of a limit or bound) less than or equal to one or more numbers or variables
- (sometimes capital) geology denoting the early part or division of a period, system, formation, etcLower Silurian
- (tr) to cause to become low or on a lower level; bring, put, or cause to move down
- (tr) to reduce or bring down in estimation, dignity, value, etcto lower oneself
- to reduce or be reducedto lower one's confidence
- (tr) to make quieterto lower the radio
- (tr) to reduce the pitch of
- (tr) phonetics to modify the articulation of (a vowel) by bringing the tongue further away from the roof of the mouth
- (intr) to diminish or become less
Word Origin for lower
lower
2lour
- (esp of the sky, weather, etc) to be overcast, dark, and menacing
- to scowl or frown
- a menacing scowl or appearance
Word Origin and History for lowering
lower
c.1600, "to descend, sink," from lower (adj.), from Middle English lahghere (c.1200), comparative of low (adj.). Transitive meaning "to let down, to cause to descend" attested from 1650s. Related: Lowered; lowering. In the sense "to cause to descend" the simple verb low (Middle English lahghenn, c.1200) was in use into the 18c.
lower
"to look dark and threatening," also lour, Middle English louren, luren "to frown" (early 13c.), "to lurk" (mid-15c.), from Old English *luran or from its cognates, Middle Low German luren, Middle Dutch loeren "lie in wait." Form perhaps assimilated to lower (1). Related: Lowered; lowering.
lower
c.1200, lahre, comparative of lah (see low (adj.)).
lower
- Being an earlier division of the geological or archaeological period named. Compare upper.