frown

noun

A wrinkling of the forehead with the eyebrows brought together, typically indicating displeasure, severity, or concentration.

(Canada, US) A downturn of the corners of the mouth, typically expressing sadness.

Any facial expression that indicates disapproval or displeasure.

verb

(intransitive) To have a frown on one's face.

(intransitive, figurative) To manifest displeasure or disapprobation; to look with disfavour or threateningly.

(transitive) To repress or repel by expressing displeasure or disapproval; to rebuke with a look.

(transitive) To communicate by frowning.

Roots

froignierfrown- · Old French · to show displeasure, snort

Synonyms for frown

scowlv glowern lourv grimacen mouen poutn

Synonyms & related words for frown

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of frown — including scowl, glower, lour, grimace, moue, pout. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to frown

Explore words related to frown — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include frowningly, grimacingly, smirk, grin, smile, sneer, brows, smirkingly. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for frown

Common synonyms for frown include scowl, glower, lour, grimace, moue, pout — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does frown come from?

The word frown breaks down into one root of Old French origin: the root frown, from Old French froignier (“to show displeasure, snort”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.