Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to frown on

to frown on

14 3.9
To show that you do not approve of something, often for social or official reasons
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : desaprobar
  • Many parents frown on allowing their children to watch violent movies.
  • teachers frown on

And then we frown on two out of three of those behaviors, but we don't frown on staying the loveless relationship.

Examples

  • Add to that alcohol and drugs, and well, the department frowns on that, so I resigned.

    Acts of Revenge (2020)

  • School administrators frown on requisitions of stickers and rewards.

    Academic text (1995)

  • And even though a lot of people frown on it, a lot of people love it.

  • And those books, you know, so interesting the way you know, society kind of frowns on what those books are really selling.

  • "The school frowns on kids missing a day for any reason."

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Or is that something your religion frowns on?

    The Ottoman Lieutenant (2017)

  • A lot of people frown on the Yanks for not being in this war yet.

    Pearl Harbor (2001)

  • In either case, our music teachers frowned on extraneous movement.

    Academic text (1992)

  • We already know that most legal academics frown on such practice-based teaching.

    Blog text (5)

  • Well, the Catholic Church frowns on foul language and unkind behavior, as well as abortion.

    Blog text (2)

Synonyms

to object
vsto frown on
349 5.1

To say you do not agree with something

is less about direct opposition and more about social or official judgment
to condemn
vsto frown on
298 4.0

To strongly criticize someone or something publicly

is milder, focusing on social or official disapproval without harshness
to disapprove
vsto frown on
94 2.9

To think something is wrong or bad and show it

focuses more on official or widely accepted social disapproval
to frown upon
vsto frown on
23 4.2

To think something is not acceptable

is the original phrase meaning official social negative judgement
to frown at
vsto frown on
16 2.3

Give someone a worried or angry look to show you do not like them

is about general social or official disapproval rather than a facial gesture
to disdain
vsto frown on
15 6.4

To treat a person or thing as not worthy of respect

is about official or social negative judgement rather than contemptuous rejection
to dislike
vsto frown on
  • Texting
5 3.4

To click a button to show you do not like something online

is broader and typically implies social or official disapproval, not just online feedback
to take a dim view
vsto frown on
3 5.6

To not approve of something

is used more for formal or socially recognized disapproval
to disfavor
vsto frown on
  • US
1 5.7

To dislike and not support people or things

has a clearer emphasis on formal or accepted social rejection
to turn thumbs down
vsto frown on
1 7.0

To show that you do not agree with or support something

covers broader social or official disapproval beyond a simple vote

Antonyms

to approve
∞ 1.6

To officially agree to something or think that it is good

How Disapproving

to condemn
298 4.0
to frown on
14 3.9
to oppose
∞ 2.9
to object
349 5.1
to disapprove
94 2.9

Surface Forms

frown on infinitive
frowned on past
frowned on past participle
frowning on present participle
frowns on third person singular

Morphology

frown + on

The verb 'frown' denotes showing displeasure and the preposition 'on' marks the target, so a learner who knows both words can infer 'to show disapproval toward' from their combination. This verb + preposition pattern is compositional and cross-linguistically common, making the MWE readily interpretable by B1 learners.

Etymology

Frown on comes from the simple picture of someone making a frown (a face that shows dislike) and directing it on an action or person. When people literally looked at something with a frown, they showed they did not like it, so frown on means 'to disapprove'.