glowering

7.4

A dark, angry look that seems threatening

adjective
/ˈɡlaʊərɪŋ/

: torvo

A big, beefy, glowering man you could tell wanted a fight even without knowing who he was.

Examples

After losing the game, he sat in a glowering silence, clearly upset about the outcome.
The teacher gave a glowering look when the students were talking during her lecture.
She noticed his glowering expression and decided to give him some space.

Synonyms

dark

vsglowering

377 1.0

Feeling gloomy and sad

carries a stronger sense of anger and menace than gloom

sour

vsglowering

46 3.7

Showing an unfriendly, resentful mood

is darker and more visually threatening than mere sulkiness

sullen

vsglowering

26 4.7

Being quiet and bad-tempered, showing that a person is upset

adds a darker, more threatening mood to that gloom

smoldering

vsglowering

18 6.3

Showing strong feelings that are barely controlled, especially anger or passion

is an obvious dark look rather than hidden heat

morose

vsglowering

15 7.9

Being quiet and unhappy and showing little interest in others

suggests a darker, more brooding and menacing presence

dour

vsglowering

12 7.6

Serious and unfriendly in a way that looks gloomy

is more emotionally dark and brooding rather than only stern

brooding

vsglowering

8 6.2

Having a quiet, serious mood that feels dark

leans more toward an angry, menacing outward expression

scowling

vsglowering

1 5.4

A person who looks angry and unfriendly because they frown

is darker and more menacing than simple anger

saturnine

vsglowering

Formal

1 9.9

Having a serious, quiet mood that shows sadness or anger

is more visibly brooding and potentially threatening in expression

Antonyms

cheerful

111 1.0

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

joyful

70 1.0

Feeling or showing great happiness

How Angry

furious

238 3.0

glowering

7.4

annoyed

77 1.0

sullen

26 4.7

Surface Forms

glowering positive

Morphology

glowering = glower (transparent) = glower + ing

The adjective is directly formed from the verb 'glower' with the participial suffix '-ing', so its meaning ('looking angrily') is predictable from the base.

Etymology

The word glowering comes from older words that meant 'to look' or 'stare', and a helpful way to remember it is to think of glow but dark — imagine a face or sky that seems to burn with a low, angry light. So, a glowering look or sky is one that is angry, dark, or threatening.