Why Frowner?

Recently, someone asked me, “What would you call someone who frowns a lot?”

It was an informal discussion with a fellow writer in a Starbucks, and I volunteered a few words; but the question stuck with me. Hence, this post.

Caution: You may find story prompts in the words that follow.

The Initial Approach

Consider why someone might frown:

aggravation, aggression, agitation, anger, belligerence, concentration, confusion, constraint, contemplation, defeat, defiance, denial, determination, disagreement, disappointment, disapproval, disbelief, discomfort, doubt, embarrassment, exasperation, impatience, insecurity, introspection, irritation, nervousness, oppression, pessimism, shame, skepticism, stubbornness, uncertainty, unease, worry

Consider the body language and emotion beats presented in 200+ Ways to Say “Frown” or “Scowl”: A Word List for Writers. The post also provides other suggestions, including a list of verbs.

Why Would You Refer to a Character as a Frowner?

The person might sport a frown. However, what’s behind it? Is the frown caused by a problematic situation?

Consider the facial expressions that might be exhibited by:

• a scientist tackling a difficult problem
• a coworker with a migraine for the third time in a week
• a writer who discovers their books on a piracy site
• a customer whose delivery of __________ has been stolen by porch pirates
• a nurse dealing with terminal patients
• a single parent coping with multiple jobs
• a teacher grading the essay of a failing student
• a woman searching for a lost engagement ring
• an athlete practicing a difficult physical feat
• a scrounger rooting through a smelly trash bin
• a gardener who has lost a crop of __________ to hail or theft
• a person on crutches trying to reach a shelf
• a senior gazing at their reflection in the mirror
• a surgeon telling a family their relative died during surgery
• a spouse who discovers lipstick, a stray hair, or __________ on their significant other’s clothing
• a restaurant patron who orders [Coke but gets Pepsi, decaffeinated coffee but gets regular, or __________]
• a homeless person struggling to stay alive

Would you be better off describing (showing) your character’s situation and allowing readers to intuit frowns or scowls?

Direct Noun Replacements

Rather than say frowner, you could choose one or more of the following nouns. Suitability will vary, depending on context. Some colloquialisms would be more appropriate for dialogue than narrative.

A to C

agitator, alarmist, apocalyptic seer, apocalyptist, arguer, bearer of [bad news, bad tidings], bellyacher, calamity [auger, foreteller, oracle, predictor, prophet, sear, visionary], catastrophe predictor, catastrophizer, censor, complainer, crank, critic, criticizer, curmudgeon, cynic

D to F

declensionist, defeatist, derider, detractor, disaster forecaster, disbeliever, disdainer, disparager, dissenter, dissident, doom merchant, doom-monger, doomsayer, doomster, doubter, downer, dud, failure, fatalist, faultfinder, fearmonger, fighter, fussbudget, fusspot

G to O

gloom merchant, gloomy Gus, griper, grouch, grouser, grumbler, grump, grumphie (Scottish sow), has-been, insurgent, killjoy, loser, malcontent, misanthropist, misery [architect, disseminator, maker, manufacturer, spreader], moaner, mutineer, naysayer, negativist, nihilist, nitpicker, objector

P to W

party pooper, pessimist, prognosticator of gloom, prophet of [doom, woe], protester, quitter, rabblerouser, rebel, scaremonger, scoffer, scorner, skeptic, sourpuss, spoilsport, sulker, sullen [beast, brute, creature, monster, reptile], tragedian, troublemaker, trouble teller, wailer, wet blanket, whiner, worrier, worryguts, worrywart

Now Stop Frowning and Start Writing