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frowny

frowny

4 7.0
Having a mouth turned down and looking unhappy
  • adjective
  • /ˈfraʊni/
  • Informal
translation icon : fruncido
  • Somebody's got a frowny face.
  • frowny face

Examples

  • Children were asked to respond on a 3-point scale by marking a cartoon face matched with the written description (1) "I know that I have the ability to perform the task" (smiley face), (2) "I'm not sure that I have the ability to perform the task" (neutral face), or (3) "I know that I don't have the ability to perform the task" (frowny face).

    Academic text (1996)
  • I got some frowny looks, but no verbal scolding.

    Blog text (14)
  • I have some frowny faces too.

  • But only if they get four gold stars and no frowny faces.

  • I put a frowny face on Facebook!

  • But her frowny face for being #2 on the NYT list was enough to put me off reading anything she writes.

    Blog text (20)
  • Note the frowny face.

    Blog text (18)
  • She looks like she has a frowny face on her abdomen.

    Blog text (10)
  • "Frowny face."

  • When she heard the bad news, she had a frowny expression on her face.

Synonyms

sad
vsfrowny
1.0

Feeling unhappy or upset because of something

is the visible unhappy appearance rather than the internal feeling
melancholy
vsfrowny
37 5.9

Feeling or showing deep sadness

is a surface unhappy look rather than profound, long‑lasting sorrow
gloomy
vsfrowny
29 2.5

Feeling sad and without much hope

is a simple unhappy facial appearance rather than deep despair
glum
vsfrowny
23 4.1

Looking or feeling sad and quiet

is more about a visible unhappy facial look than general mood
grouchy
vsfrowny
19 3.9

Easily annoyed and often in a bad mood

describes an unhappy look rather than irritability or annoyance
unsmiling
vsfrowny
3 4.0

Having a serious face that looks unfriendly

focuses on looking unhappy rather than merely not smiling
sad-faced
vsfrowny
1 3.6

Having a sad look on the face

is about a general unhappy look rather than deep sorrow
scowling
vsfrowny
1 5.4

A person who looks angry and unfriendly because they frown

is less about anger and more about simple unhappiness
frowning
vsfrowny
1.0

Showing dislike or anger with a wrinkled forehead

is similar but refers to looking unhappy rather than angry

Antonyms

111 1.0

Happy in a way you show with a smile or friendly actions

How Unhappy

sullen
26 4.7
unhappy
463 1.0
frowny
  • Informal
4 7.0
content
87 1.0

Surface Forms

frowny positive

Morphology

frowny = frown (transparent) = frown + y

Formed by adding the productive adjective-forming suffix '-y' to 'frown', giving the clear meaning 'showing a frown'.

Etymology

Frowny comes from the common word frown, which means 'to make a sad or angry face', plus the ending -y that means 'having' or 'full of'. So, frowny means 'having a frown' or 'looking unhappy'.