What does glower mean?
Glower is chiefly a verb meaning to shine with a steady, intense light, as embers do beneath a layer of ash. It can also describe a person’s angry or resentful expression: a tense face glowers, and eyes may glow with indignation. The word often suggests visible feeling as much as literal illumination, so “glower with anger” remains idiomatic even when no actual light is present. In its rarer noun use, a glower is an intense light or a sullen, hostile look. Glower appears in both British and American English, although its frequency and neighboring vocabulary vary somewhat by region. It is more evocative than the neutral verb glow: glow commonly describes a soft or diffuse radiance, while glower tends to imply concentration, intensity, menace, or barely suppressed emotion. Consequently, the verb is especially useful in literary description, where a setting or expression can seem almost to emit heat.
To shine with a steady, intense light, or to express anger, resentment, or sullen displeasure in one's appearance.
"His eyes glowered with suspicion."
The emotional sense is especially common in literary and descriptive contexts.
An intense light or a sullen, hostile look.
"The old furnaces served as small glowers in the dark workshop."
The noun is much less common than the verb.
Rare in contemporary usage; a plural is used chiefly when referring to separate sources of intense light.
"The furnace doors were twin glowers in the darkness."
A glower turns emotion into visible light: anger can burn in the eyes before a single word is spoken.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does glower come from?
Glower descends from Old English glōwan, meaning “to shine or glow.” The verb continued a Germanic lineage ultimately connected with the Indo-European root *gleh-, associated with shining or glowing. The English word developed a more intense sense and could describe both a fierce light and an angry, sullen expression. Flame and its relatives flamingo and flamenco preserve cognates of the same ancient root.
Related word forms
How glower is actually used
Chiefly descriptive and literary, with a slightly dramatic tone. It is especially common in phrases involving anger, jealousy, defiance, or an ominous atmosphere.
Easily confused with glower
Glow commonly describes a soft or diffuse light, whereas glower suggests a more concentrated, intense, or emotionally charged radiance.
Glare often means to stare angrily or shine harshly, while glower emphasizes an intense radiance or a sullen, visibly angry expression.