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)
capitalized
: 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
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
See the world’s highest glacial palace.
—
Alexandra Emanuelli, Travel + Leisure, 6 Sep. 2025
Viral posts present them as a lost civilization’s handiwork; geologists call them nunataks, mountain summits standing above the ice, and, in some cases, glacial horns whose sharp faces were sculpted by erosion.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
Meanwhile, theatrical distributors are constantly assessing whether a title is worth the P&A spend to ROI in what is a glacial recovering post-Covid box office.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2025
That clearance, completed in 34 days, is a brisk pace in an often glacial government bureaucracy and marks the final checkpoint before publication in the Federal Register, which will carry the effective date.
—Emil Sayegh, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for glacial
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Alexandra Emanuelli, Travel + Leisure, 6 Sep. 2025
Viral posts present them as a lost civilization’s handiwork; geologists call them nunataks, mountain summits standing above the ice, and, in some cases, glacial horns whose sharp faces were sculpted by erosion.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
Meanwhile, theatrical distributors are constantly assessing whether a title is worth the P&A spend to ROI in what is a glacial recovering post-Covid box office.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2025
That clearance, completed in 34 days, is a brisk pace in an often glacial government bureaucracy and marks the final checkpoint before publication in the Federal Register, which will carry the effective date.
—Emil Sayegh, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for glacial
Cite this Entry
“Glacial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glacial. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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