glower

1 of 2

verb

glow·​er ˈglau̇(-ə)r 

nonstandard

ˈglō(-ə)r 

glowered; glowering; glowers

intransitive verb

: to look or stare with sullen annoyance or anger

glowered at the noisy children in the library

glower

2 of 2

noun

: a sullen brooding look of annoyance or anger

Did you know?

We send this word, glower, out to the glaring grumps, the scowling scoundrels, and the pouting pessimists of the world. Its gloomy roots grow in Scotland, where glower (or glowren, to use the older Scottish form of the word) has been used since the late Middle Ages. Originally, the word meant simply "to look intently" or "to stare in amazement," but by the late 1700s, glowering stares were being associated with anger instead of astonishment. We can offer no explanation for this semantic development, but we will submit that in its evolved form it reminds us of an older and unrelated English word: lower (it rhymes with flower) means "to frown or look sullen."

Synonyms

Verb

• frown
• glare
• gloom
• lower
• lour
• scowl

Examples of glower in a Sentence

Verb

The librarian glowered at us when she heard us laughing.

baseball fans glowering at their TVs as they watched their favorite team lose

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Declan, quite a serious character in the novel, proceeds to drink obscene amounts of whiskey and smoke intellectually in the bath, glowering beneath his mustache. —Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 1 Nov. 2024

The split-screen said it all: Trump glowered and grimaced, spewing old grievances and strange new attacks. —Brian Bennett, TIME, 11 Sep. 2024

Noun

As the two women argue over which one of them should ascend to a higher position of power, Russell provides Wyler with a put-upon weariness that matches her glower. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2024

But Gaga is dully earnest, struggling to match her costar’s tortured internal glower. —Tom Gliatto, People.com, 3 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English (Scots) glowren; akin to Middle Low German glūren to be overcast, Middle Dutch gloeren to leer

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1715, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

glower

verb

glow·​er

ˈglau̇(-ə)r

: to stare angrily

glower noun