as in glared
to look with anger or disapproval
the boss just stood there and frowned at his assistant who, once again, was in trouble
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Recent Examples of frowned
Good to know that kidnapping is still generally frowned upon by the French government.
—
Elie Mystal, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
My mother has never sought attention, and self-promotion is largely frowned upon in our family.
—Peter Kiefer, HollywoodReporter, 7 Jan. 2026
Putting one’s head above the rest is typically frowned upon.
—Oscar Täckström, Fortune, 3 Jan. 2026
Yet small talk is often frowned upon, rendered hollow, automatic, or too polite to be sincere.
—Jeanne Ballion, Vogue, 27 Dec. 2025
Here, drinking and driving a simulator is not frowned upon.
—Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 3 Dec. 2025
Protective tariffs, price controls, and other government interventions were frowned upon.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
The candidate Grant had frowned upon before dove right in with his sales pitch.
—Sarah Jackson, CNBC, 9 Nov. 2025
Just don’t forget to bring a cup or water bottle to sample the water, as drinking directly from the spout is frowned upon.
—Cat Sposato, Travel + Leisure, 4 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frowned
Verb
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Just inside the front door of a Circle K convenience store, the district manager glared at a small kiosk.—
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New Amy spent the first season being glared at by most of the staff, because Old Amy was 10 times worse than that colleague who keeps reheating fish in the microwave.—
Verb
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Another line of attack likens the show to when bachelorette parties invade gay bars — a practice frequently scowled upon by gay patrons.—
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Behar scowled at Goldberg's comment, which opened the floodgates for the remaining panelists.—
Verb
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After the photo opportunity, the girls stared at Minnie with Bennett taking a particular interest in the Disney character’s glam look.—
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Perhaps this is the first time the group stared into the rearview mirror to think about something akin to a greatest hits set.—
Cite this Entry
“Frowned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frowned. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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