Frown vs Scowl - What's the difference?
frown | scowl |
A facial expression in which the eyebrows are brought together, and the forehead is wrinkled, usually indicating displeasure, sadness or worry, or less often confusion or concentration.
To have a on one's face.
To manifest displeasure or disapprobation; to look with disfavour or threateningly.
* Shakespeare
To repress or repel by expressing displeasure or disapproval; to rebuke with a look.
The wrinkling of the brows or face in frowning; the expression of displeasure, sullenness, or discontent in the countenance; an angry frown.
Hence, gloom; dark or threatening aspect.
To wrinkle the brows, as in frowning or displeasure; to put on a frowning look; to look sour, sullen, severe, or angry.
* Spenser
(by extension) To look gloomy, dark, or threatening; to lower.
* Thomson
To look at or repel with a scowl or a frown.
To express by a scowl.
In intransitive terms the difference between frown and scowl
is that frown is to manifest displeasure or disapprobation; to look with disfavour or threateningly while scowl is to look at or repel with a scowl or a frown.In transitive terms the difference between frown and scowl
is that frown is to repress or repel by expressing displeasure or disapproval; to rebuke with a look while scowl is to express by a scowl.frown
English
Noun
(en noun)Derived terms
* permafrownVerb
(en verb)- Noisy gossip in the library is frowned upon.
- The sky doth frown and lower upon our army.
- Frown the impudent fellow into silence.
Derived terms
* frown at * frown on * frown uponscowl
English
Noun
(en noun)Derived terms
* (l), (l)Verb
(en verb)- She scowled and frowned with froward countenance.
- The scowling heavens.
- to scowl a rival into submission
- to scowl defiance
