Meaning & use
frown upon
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Meaning
verbtransitiveformal
To disapprove of something and regard it as improper, usually without taking strong action against it.
Grammar: Takes an object: many schools frown upon cell phones. Often used in the passive: it is frowned upon.
Patterns
- frown upon something
- be frowned upon
- frown upon someone doing something
Many restaurants frown upon customers wearing swimsuits.
Arriving late to an interview is frowned upon in most professions.
Her family frowned upon the idea of marrying so young.
Word forms
| third person singular | frowns upon |
|---|---|
| past tense | frowned upon |
| past participle | frowned upon |
| -ing form | frowning upon |
Common combinations
- strongly frowned upon
- Cheating on exams is strongly frowned upon here.
- generally frowned upon
- Talking loudly in the library is generally frowned upon.
- socially frowned upon
- Such behavior was socially frowned upon in that era.
- frown upon the practice
- The company frowns upon the practice of working on weekends.
- officially frowned upon
- Gifts to teachers are officially frowned upon by the school.
Synonyms and how they differ
- disapprove of
- Disapprove of is the neutral, everyday equivalent and works for strong or mild objections, while frown upon suggests a social norm.
- look down on
- Look down on means to think someone is inferior, which is about people, while frown upon is about actions or customs.
- discourage
- Discourage means actively trying to stop something, whereas frown upon only shows disapproval.
- object to
- Object to suggests a spoken complaint, while frown upon can be a quiet attitude held by a group.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: frown upon or frown at?
frown upon vs frown at
Frown at someone means to give them an angry look, whereas frown upon something means to disapprove of it.
Practice
In some offices, eating at your desk is frowned ___.
Choose one answer.
The phrasal verb is frown upon (or frown on) meaning to disapprove. Frowned at would mean someone gave a frown toward a person or thing, not a general disapproval.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “frown upon”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.