Meaning & use
furrowed
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“furrowed” is a form of “furrow”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Marked with deep lines or wrinkles, especially a forehead drawn together in worry, thought, or anger.
Grammar: Usually before a noun: a furrowed brow. It also appears after a verb in descriptions.
Patterns
- furrowed brow
- furrowed forehead
He studied the map with a furrowed brow.
Her furrowed forehead showed she was worried.
The old farmer's furrowed face told of many hard winters.
adjectivebefore a noun
Cut into long, narrow trenches, as a field prepared for planting.
Grammar: Describes land or ground marked by ploughing.
The furrowed field was ready for seed.
Rain had gathered in the furrowed soil.
verbtransitive or intransitive
Past tense and past participle of furrow: to wrinkle your brow, or to cut grooves in soil.
Grammar: Takes an object with ploughing; with the brow it can take brow or stand alone.
Patterns
- furrow your brow
She furrowed her brow and read the question again.
The tractor furrowed the field in straight lines.
Common combinations
- furrowed brow
- The teacher gave me a furrowed brow when I asked again.
- furrowed forehead
- A furrowed forehead often means concentration.
- deeply furrowed
- His deeply furrowed face looked tired.
- furrowed fields
- Furrowed fields stretched to the horizon.
Synonyms and how they differ
- wrinkled
- Wrinkled is the general word for creased skin or cloth, while furrowed suggests deep, parallel lines.
- creased
- Creased can describe folded fabric, whereas furrowed is mostly used for skin and land.
- lined
- Lined is lighter and more neutral, often meaning age, whereas furrowed implies deeper grooves or worry.
- knitted
- Knitted is used mostly with brows, meaning drawn together, and is less common for land.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: furrowed or furred?
furrowed vs furred
Furred means covered with fur or a coating, while furrowed means marked with grooves or lines.
Practice
Which phrase best shows a worried facial expression?
Choose one answer.
A furrowed brow is the common phrase for a forehead wrinkled in worry. The others are not standard collocations for that expression.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “furrowed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.