Glower

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈɡlaʊə(ɹ)/

Definitions

1. To look at someone or something with a dark, angry, or sullen expression
2. To fix one's gaze in a way that shows displeasure or hostility
3. To cast a stern or brooding glance often expressing annoyance or disapproval

Etymology: "Glower" sounds like it should be a close cousin of "glow," and the source suggests it is, though the link is tangled. Middle English had "glouren" and "glōren," meaning to gleam or stare fixedly, and these may have been altered in Scots, or may have grown out of an older sense of "glow" meaning to stare. Either way, the notion of a bright, hard gaze sits underneath the modern meaning. The Scandinavian thread is what gives the word its shape. Related forms appear in Low German, Dutch and Icelandic, where the sense is of flickering or glimmering light. The "-er" ending that makes "glower" look like a repeated action is best seen as a fossil of an old frequentative suffix, meaning the word carries the idea of repeated or sustained looking rather than a single glance. What began as light shining or flickering became a human face fixing another person with a stare. The sense of that stare hardening into annoyance or disapproval is the step that gives the word its present meaning.

Synonyms: scowl, frown, glare, gloom, brood

Antonyms: smile, grin, beam