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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."
Examples of glower in a Sentence
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
Tom Gliatto, People.com, 3 Oct. 2024
There were the inevitable Asian-in-the-news roles (Andrew Yang, Kim Jong Un), but Yang, with his resting glower and pop-diva flair, brought a new flavor to the show.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for glower 
Dictionary Entries Near glower
Cite this Entry
“Glower.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glower. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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