1
: an ornamental vertical groove especially in a Doric frieze
2
: a symbolic figure or a character (as in the Mayan system of writing) usually incised or carved in relief
3
: a symbol (such as a curved arrow on a road sign) that conveys information nonverbally
Examples of glyph in a Sentence
a rock inscribed with mysterious glyphs that some have speculated as being of Norse origin
Recent Examples on the Web
In the process, these scripts shed their ties to physical objects and actions, so that the objects their glyphs once depicted have little or no bearing on their current meaning: the characters in a script are abstract symbols, not descriptive icons.
—
Longreads, 1 July 2025
On the wall behind her, Gauguin has painted glyphs like those discovered on Easter Island, and a masked female figure, ferocious and bare-breasted.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 11 July 2025
Notifications: Long-press the glyph button to check caller ID (available with an OTA update later in July).
—Prakhar Khanna, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
These abstract compositions at times appear to coalesce into visual language systems—in Dream, 2024, for example, repeating geometric motifs suggest the formation of glyphs—thereby establishing an intimate dialogue between mother and daughter that transcends delineations of space and time.
—Jessica Simmons-Reid, Artforum, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for glyph
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Longreads, 1 July 2025
On the wall behind her, Gauguin has painted glyphs like those discovered on Easter Island, and a masked female figure, ferocious and bare-breasted.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 11 July 2025
Notifications: Long-press the glyph button to check caller ID (available with an OTA update later in July).
—Prakhar Khanna, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
These abstract compositions at times appear to coalesce into visual language systems—in Dream, 2024, for example, repeating geometric motifs suggest the formation of glyphs—thereby establishing an intimate dialogue between mother and daughter that transcends delineations of space and time.
—Jessica Simmons-Reid, Artforum, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for glyph
Cite this Entry
“Glyph.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glyph. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share