glacial

adjective

gla·​cial ˈglā-shəl 

1

: suggestive of ice: such as

a

: extremely cold : frigid

a glacial wind

b

: devoid of warmth and cordiality

a glacial handshake

c

: coldly imperturbable

maintained a glacial calm

2

: of a purity marked by the tendency to readily solidify in the form of ice-like crystals

glacial acetic acid

3

a(1)

: of, relating to, or being any of those parts of geologic time from Precambrian onward when a much larger portion of the earth was covered by glaciers than at present

(2)

Glacial : pleistocene

b

: of, relating to, or produced by glaciers

c

: suggestive of the very slow movement of glaciers

progress on the bill has been glacial

glacially

ˈglā-shə-lē 

adverb

Synonyms of glacial

• icy
• freezing
• frigid
• cold
• chilly
• chill
• cool

Examples of glacial in a Sentence

Progress on the bill has been glacial.

a glacial weather front coming down from Canada will bring freezing temperatures this weekend

Recent Examples on the Web

In August, a massive avalanche of rock and glacial ice tore down a mountainside in the Himalayas, unleashing a torrent of water, rock and sediment that thundered toward communities along Nepal's Trishuli River at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour. — Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Nov. 2026

Lake Tekapo gets its milky turquoise color from fine glacial rock flour floating in the water. — Chloe Sachdev, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Oct. 2026

Glaciers could re-form if carbon pollution declines substantially and temperatures drop enough to enable snowfall to build year-round, eventually compressing again into glacial ice, but that may take several hundred years, Menounos added. — ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026

The 50,000-acre working high-country sheep and cattle farm owned by the Wallis family is set deep within a dramatic glacial valley and is bordered by Mount Aspiring National Park near Lake Wanaka, one of the country’s largest lakes. — Luke Abrahams, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin glacialis, from glacies

First Known Use

1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for glacial

• facial
• racial
• spacial
• spatial
• bifacial
• biracial
• palatial
• postglacial
• preglacial
• subglacial
• craniofacial
• interfacial

Kids Definition

glacial

adjective

gla·​cial ˈglā-shəl 

1

a

: extremely cold : frigid

b

: lacking warmth of feeling

2

a

: of, relating to, or produced by glaciers

b

: of, relating to, or being any of those parts of geologic time when a large portion of the earth was covered by glaciers

c

capitalized : pleistocene