verb
noun
Other Word Forms
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
Explanation
When you scowl you make an angry face. The angry face you make is also called a scowl. Lighten up. Scowl is an expressive word: it shares "ow" with frown, and if you say it like you mean it you might end up scowling yourself. Being scowled at is more unsettling than being frowned at. A scowl is like an angry frown you would give someone if you disapproved of them. A frown expresses sadness, but a scowl expresses disdain.
Vocabulary lists containing scowl
The Lingo of Body Language
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"The Ravine," Vocabulary from the short story
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The Watsons Go to Birmingham
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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.
Kat Moss of Scowl learned her history the old-fashioned way: She read about it in a book.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 2, 2025
Additional musicians who have pulled out of the festival include Sprints, Scowl, Lambrini Girls, Okay Shalom and Squirrel Flower, the BBC reported.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2024
Other artists who've announced they won't be performing include Lambrini Girls, Scowl and Sprints.
From BBC • Mar. 11, 2024
American hardcore music is experiencing a creative burst at the moment, owing to bands including Gulch, Scowl, Drug Church, Drain, Mindforce and End It.
From New York Times • Aug. 11, 2022
Austin had stared, and then turned his back with a blacker look than even "Scowl" had ever worn before.
From The Magnetic North by Robins, Elizabeth
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.
