Frowning Thesaurus
“One place for pizza?” Orchid frowned, as if this was the saddest thing she’d ever heard.
—Erin Entrada Kelly, Those Kids from Fawn Creek
From a tragic lack of pizzeria options to even more cataclysmic trials and tribulations, stories are absolutely rampant with unsavory events that make characters frown.
Sadness, yes, but also uncertainty, confusion, suspicion, worry, annoyance and disgust and full-out anger: negative emotions of all kinds lead to serious frownage.
As if there weren’t already enough reasons to frown, add on top of that intense concentration, thinking hard, and careful scrutiny: these activities, too, are bound to spur on frowns.
I’m willing to bet that in any given story, the characters will have cause to get confused and upset about their problems and ponder possible solutions. Given the number of times they’re thrown into thorny situations, it’s well worth stocking your creative writing toolkit with a wide battery of frowning synonyms to shoot into your story.
Oftentimes, the simple one-two punch “She frowned” is the most elegant and concise option. Nothing wrong with that. But there are so many more weapons to add to your arsenal. A well-aimed synonym can express not only frowning but the intricate nuances of your character’s current mental state, personality, or physical appearance.
Two birds, one stone!
Is it more of a glower or a grimace, or maybe a pout? Is it slight or deep? Delicate or lopsided? Cute or deadly? What shape does the character’s lips make when they frown?
Your character might even have a trademark way of frowning. A pinched expression (like Patrick in We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates)? A curl of the lip (like Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter)? A hardening of the jaw (like so many scary, angry characters)?
By playing up the idiosyncratic qualities of a character’s frown, you stimulate readers’ senses. We see the frown storming across the character’s face. We feel the stretching tightness of emotion in ourselves. When life hands your characters lemons, juice out reader engagement with expressive turns of phrase.
Zooming in to describe a frown
I don’t know if it’s actually true that it takes more muscles to frown than to smile, but it’s plain to see that a frown activates every part of the face. From a creased forehead to slanted eyebrows to slitted eyes to a scrunched-up nose to a downturned mouth to clamped teeth to a stiff jaw, the face has many hotspots that express frowning.
Zoom in on one of these hotspots. How does the frown manifest there? What small movement happens? Pleating, twisting, pushing, clamping, knotting?
Maybe the space between the eyebrows creases, or the lines around the eyes fold deeper, or a corner of the mouth edges down. Any one of these movements could serve as an evocative synonym for the word “frown.”
A few examples from accomplished authors:
The two vertical lines scored her brow. “Astrid. That’s not what I meant.”
—Janet Fitch, White Oleander
Even in sleep, Matthias’ features were troubled, his pale brows furrowed.
—Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows
Dr. Cable narrowed her eyes, her face becoming even more like a predator’s.
—Scott Westerfeld, Uglies
Elanor’s mom dumped the yellow plastic bag into the bathtub and started rinsing out the clothes, wrinkling her nose, even though they didn’t smell.
—Rainbow Rowell, Eleanor & Park
When she caught sight of these careless women in the wild, her lips would tighten.
—Ashley C. Ford, Somebody’s Daughter: A Memoir
Her jaw was so rigid that a little muscle was visible just underneath her cheekbone.
—Jojo Moyes, Me Before You
Getting metaphorical with frowns
Sometimes, the most powerful expression of a frown isn’t a literal description of the character’s face but a metaphor or image of the emotion behind it. Some of the most prevalent qualities associated with frowning are hardness, darkness, shadows, coldness, sharpness, heaviness. Other potent comparisons: weather like a dark cloud or storm; tastes like sourness or bitterness; sharp objects like knives and glass…
If your character’s frown was an object you could touch, what texture would it have? What would it feel like in your hand? What would it taste like?
These questions can be good departure points to land on an interesting image or metaphor.
Take a peek at how a few notable authors have it pulled off:
My mother’s expression becomes hard. “Never mind the poor musician you practically put into cardiac arrest.”
—Gordon Korman, Restart
The mage’s face darkened at the name of the ship, but he said, “So be it.”
—Ursula K. Le Guin, A Wizard of Earthsea
“Well, it was . . . Oh goodness . . .” A shadow passed across her face.
—Rick Riordan, The Last Olympian
The Other put on a cold look. “I am always honest with you,” he said.
—Susanna Clarke, Piranesi
The man with the bottle still loomed in my mind, his sneer as sharp as the glass edges that had glinted in the sun.
—Kekla Magoon, The Rock and the River
A thousand and one ways to frown
To find just the right word to evoke a frown, check out the lists below. You’re welcome to use any words and phrases you find there—or give them your own spin.
FROWNING THESAURUS
BODY PARTS THAT FROWN
the face, the features
the eyes, the corners of the eyes
the forehead, the brow
the eyebrows, the brows
the nose
the mouth, the lips, the corners of the lips, the edges of the mouth, the side of the mouth
the teeth
the jaw
FROWNING NOUNS
a frown, a scowl, a grimace, a sneer, a lower
a glare, a glower
a pout, a sulk, a moue
a wince, a cringe, a flinch
an (adjective) face — a long face, a frowny face, a sad face, etc.
an (adjective) look — a dirty look, a withering look, a funny look, etc.
an (adjective) expression — an angry expression, a bleak expression, a tight expression, etc.
an (adjective) air — a worried air, a brooding air, a murderous air, etc.
a furrow, a wrinkle, a line, a crease, a pleat, a crinkle, a bunch, a pucker
a tightness, a stiffness, a tension, a tautness, a contraction, a clench, a stretch, a strain
a set, a hardness, rigidity, a firmness, a fixedness
a twist, a knot, a squeeze, a contortion, a distortion, a warp, a wrench, a squint, a scrunch, a squinch, a ball
a mark, a cut, a score, a slash, a groove, a stamp
a narrowness, a thinness, a press, a compression, a pinch, a flatness
a purse, a seal, a clamp, a crush, a mash
a curve, a curl, a crook, a turn, a pull, an edge, a tuck, a tug
a slip, a dip, a tip, a tilt, a slide, a list, a slope, a slant, a bend, an angle
a fall, a drop, a collapse, a crumple, a slump, a pitch
a push, a jut
darkness, blackness, a shadow, a cloud, a storm
concentration, contemplation, thought, examination, scrutiny, (other thinking and observing nouns…)
concern, worry, dread, unease, nervousness, (other anxiety emotions…)
hurt, pain, resentment, distress, agony, (other upset emotions…)
sadness, sorrow, gloom, dismay, unhappiness, (other sadness emotions…)
confusion, puzzlement, bewilderment, bafflement, mystification, (other confusion emotions…)
suspicion, doubt, skepticism, mistrust, disbelief, (other suspicion emotions…)
annoyance, frustration, irritation, indignation, anger, (other anger emotions…)
FROWNING VERBS
frowned, scowled, grimaced, sneered, lowered
glared, glowered
pouted, sulked, moped
winced, cringed, flinched
pulled a face, made a face
gave, cast, sent, aimed, directed, levelled, shot, fired, flashed, threw, served, tossed, slung
formed, appeared, showed, crossed, passed over, ran
furrowed, wrinkled, creased, contracted, gathered, drew, pleated, crinkled, knit/knitted, bunched, puckered
tightened, stiffened, tensed, tautened, contracted, clenched, stretched, strained, seized up
hardened, turned rigid, firmed, set, fixed
twisted, knotted, squeezed, contorted, distorted, warped, wrenched, squinted, screwed up, scrunched, squinched, balled up
lined, marked, etched, written, cut, carved, scored, slashed, grooved, stamped
narrowed, thinned, pressed, compressed, pinched, flattened
pursed, closed, shut, sealed, cemented, clamped, crushed, mashed
gritted, ground, gnashed, bared
curved, curled, crooked, turned down, pulled down, edged down, tucked down, tugged down
slipped, dipped, tipped, tilted, slid, listed, lowered, sloped, slanted, bent, angled
fell, dropped, collapsed, crumpled, slumped, pitched, caved in
pushed, jutted, stuck out
darkened, blackened, shadowed, clouded (over)
soured, curdled
looked daggers, gave the stink eye, gave the evil eye
softened, loosened, slackened, eased, relaxed, released, unscrewed, smoothed, evened
FROWNING ADJECTIVES
frowning, frowny, unsmiling, scowling, grimacing, sneering, lowering
glaring, glowering
pouting, sulking, moping
wincing, cringing, flinching
slight, small, little, tiny, thin, narrow
deep, long, solid, thick, heavy
furrowed, wrinkled, creased, lined, contracted, pleated, crinkled, knit/knitted, bunched, puckered, puckery
tight, drawn, tight-drawn, stiff, tense, taut, contracted, clenched, stretched, strained, seized-up
hard, rigid, firm, set, fixed
twisted, knotted, squeezed, contorted, distorted, warped, wrenched, squinty, squinted, screwed-up, scrunched, balled-up
narrowed, thin, thinned, pressed, compressed, pinched
pursed, closed, shut, sealed, cemented, clamped
gritted, ground, gnashed, bared
straight, flat, flattened, flat-lined, horizontal, vertical
down, downward, downcast, slanted, aslant, oblique, tilted, angular
crooked, lopsided, uneven, skewed
dark, black, shadowed, shadowy, clouded, cloudy, stormy, (other dark qualities…)
sharp, harsh, cutting, scathing, withering, fierce, (other sharp qualities…)
cold, cool, chill, chilly, icy, frosty, glacial, wintry, (other cold qualities…)
stony, steely, unyielding, (other hard qualities…)
dirty, filthy, foul, nasty, (other dirty qualities…)
sour, bitter, embittered, curdled, acid, acidic, venomous, (other gustatory qualities…)
stone-faced, hard-faced, long-faced, tight-faced, grim-faced, stern-faced, sour-faced, etc.
heavy-browed, tight-browed, stern-browed, black-browed, beetle-browed, etc.
cold-eyed, fierce-eyed, stormy-eyed, squinty-eyed, slitty-eyed, etc.
thin-lipped, tight-lipped, grim-lipped, stern-lipped, sour-lipped, etc.
tight-jawed, stiff-jawed, tense-jawed, etc.
concentrated, musing, pensive, thoughtful, brooding, (other thinking emotions…)
troubled, concerned, worried, uneasy, nervous, (other anxious emotions…)
hurt, pained, wounded, offended, resentful, (other hurt emotions…)
sad, bleak, gloomy, grim, unhappy, (other sad emotions…)
confused, puzzled, bewildered, baffled, mystified, (other confused emotions…)
suspicious, dubious, skeptical, distrustful, disbelieving, (other suspicious emotions…)
annoyed, frustrated, irritated, cross, miffed, angry, (other angry emotions…)
soft, loose, slack, relaxed, smooth, even
EXAMPLE PHRASES
FROWNING IN GENERAL
a (reproachful) frown
she frowned (in thought)
she frowned (sternly)
frowning
she scowled
she grimaced
she sneered
she pouted
she moped
she sulked
she winced
a sour look
she gave him a harsh look
a black expression
she looked pained
she looked at him with a frown
she shot a scowl in his direction
she turned a (sharp) frown on him
she fixed him with a frown
she wore a frown
her frown deepened
her frown darkened
A FROWNING FACE
a (slight) frown on her face
a (fierce) frown marked her features
the confusion written across her face
a frown darkened her features
her face clouded over
a cloud passed across her features
a shadow crossed her face
her face fell
her face crumpled
her features hardened
her face went stony
her face was set
her face was balled up
her face tightened
her face was tight
a frown tightened her face
the lines of her face went tight
(worry) lined her face
lines of (tension) pinched her face
deep lines of (concern) etched into her face
(distress) pushed the lines of her face into deeper grooves
face drawn
her face was drawn in (anger)
her face drawn together
a tight-drawn expression
she twisted her face into a frown
her face was pinched
her face pulled into a frown
she pulled a (long) face
her face was turned down in a scowl
her features contracted (in an acidic expression)
her face seized up
a frown cut into her face
a frown stretched across her face
she wrinkled up her face
she screwed up her face (into a frown)
she scrunched up her face with (disapproval)
her features knotted with (fury)
her face contorted
her face was a mask of (wrath)
(rage) warped her features
A FROWNING FOREHEAD
her brow was drawn (in worry)
a frown tightened her brow
her forehead bunched
her brow was heavy (with grief)
stern-browed
a frown lined her forehead
her brow puckered (in concern)
there was a crease in her brow
a (thick) crease formed across her forehead
she wrinkled her forehead (in disgust)
FROWNING EYEBROWS
her eyebrows came together (in a wrinkled clench)
her eyebrows drew together in a (solid, black) line
her eyebrows pulled to the centre of her forehead
eyebrows tight
her brows fell into a frown
she lowered her brows at him
her eyebrows pressed down on her eyes
her eyebrows jutted down
eyebrows slanted
(doubt) slanted her brows
her eyebrows made a V shape
her brows shadowed her eyes
a (joyless) crease between her eyebrows
a wrinkle between her eyebrows
a (little) crinkle appeared between her eyes
a (tiny) crease formed between her eyebrows
a (small) line showed between her brows
a (thin, vertical) line ran between her brows
the line between her eyebrows deepened (with annoyance)
her frown wrinkled (deep) lines between her brows
FROWNING EYES
she glared at him
she glowered at him
she gave him a (black) look
her eyes narrowed
she narrowed her eyes
she looked at him narrowly
she squinted at him
she screwed up her eyes
she got squinty-eyed
his eyes were (dark) slits
his eyes looked like slits
eyes scrunched
worry lines creased the skin around her eyes
the lines around her eyes cut deeper
a storm was gathering in her eyes
A FROWNING NOSE
she wrinkled her nose (in displeasure)
her nose scrunched
nose crinkling
A FROWNING MOUTH
a (sullen) frown on her lips
her mouth turned down
she curled her lip
she twisted her lips
she twisted her mouth to one side
her mouth twisted (with annoyance)
a (downward) twist of the mouth
her mouth wrenched down
her mouth curved into a frown
her lips downcast
her mouth edged downward
her mouth in a slant
her mouth slipped to one side
the corners of her lips tilted down
a corner of her mouth tucked down
she tucked in a corner of her mouth
sadness tugged at the edges of her mouth
the corners of her mouth fell
a harshness pinched the edges of her mouth
a pinched look around her mouth
her lips made a (sour) shape
the lines around her mouth cut deeper
tight-lipped
the (hard) line of her mouth
her mouth was a (thin) line
the line of her mouth was set
a flat-lined mouth
the (pinched) set of her mouth
her lips pinched together
she tightened her lips
her mouth was tight (with fear)
her mouth went tight
her mouth drawn tight
her mouth was pulled tight
the corners of her mouth tight (with pain)
lips pursed
she pressed her lips (tightly) together
she pressed her lips into a frown
her lips were pressed in a (thin) line
her lips thinned
her mouth flattened
she sealed her mouth (shut)
she compressed her lips
she firmed her lips into a sneer
she made a (firm) line of her mouth
her lips pulled back in a (straight) line
her lips were pulled into a (straight) line
her lips compressed in a (thin) line
she cemented her mouth in a (thin) line
her mouth clamped shut
her mouth clamped into a frown
she crushed her lips together
she pouted
she pushed her lips into an (angry) knot
a puckery mouth
she puckered her lips
her mouth in a (sullen) pucker
her mouth puckered up with (resentment)
her mouth pursed up (into a rosette)
her lower lip was pushed in a pout
she stuck her lower lip out in a pout
she looked like she was (chewing on a lemon)
FROWNING TEETH AND JAW
she gritted her teeth
her teeth ground together
teeth clamped (tightly) together
she gnashed her teeth
she bared her teeth
her jaw stiffened
her jaw was tight
the (rigid) set of her jaw
A SMILE TURNING INTO A FROWN
she lost her smile
the smile dropped from her face
her smile disappeared
her smile vanished
her (glee) faded
her grin froze
her smile went slack
the (mirth) curdled on her face
her smile went sour
her smile turned bitter
A FROWN DISAPPEARING
her face cleared
her expression cleared
the frown left her face
the frown slackened
the lines of her face relaxed
the tightness loosened from her features
she unscrewed her face
the curl of her lip softened
the (anger) drained from her expression
she smoothed the frown from her face
Something missing?
Got a frowning word or phrase of your own to add to the list? Share in the comments below.
Want more?
Saunter on over to the Resources page for more fiction thesaurus word lists.
