glacial

adjective gla·cial \ ˈglā-shəl \

Updated on: 7 Apr 2018

Definition of glacial

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

—

glacially

play \ˈglā-shə-lē\ adverb

See glacial defined for English-language learners

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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 of glacial from the Web

The 54-year-old superintendent, who started two weeks ago and is still waiting for a moving truck to arrive with the family belongings from Washington, D.C., grew up in the glacial valley.

— kurtis alexander, San Francisco Chronicle, "New Yosemite leader Michael Reynolds faces challenges in valley he knows well," 1 Apr. 2018
The scientific evidence has revealed a global temperature rise, warming oceans, shrinking ice sheets, glacial retreat, decreased snow cover, sea level rise, declining arctic sea ice and extreme weather events.

— said ahmed-zaid, idahostatesman, "Science and religion coexist to make the world work | Idaho Statesman," 31 Mar. 2018
The brook flows into Great Pond, a glacial pond and 70-acre preserve owned by the town and The Nature Conservancy.

— peter marteka, Courant Community, "Glastonbury Town Council Approves Purchase Of Land, Development Rights," 29 Mar. 2018
The ice field that coats the upper reaches of the Alaska Range east of Isabel Pass has many accessible glacial offshoots that come within a few miles of the Richardson Highway.

— john schandelmeier, Anchorage Daily News, "Alaska’s ice fields and ice caves are worth exploring — but do so cautiously," 27 Mar. 2018
As previously reported, humans appear to have caused 69 percent of glacial melting between 1991 and 2010 — and warming has only accelerated since then.

— rafi letzter, Washington Post, "Melting Swiss glaciers get unusual protection as weather warms: white blankets," 10 Mar. 2018
The brook flows into Great Pond, a glacial pond and 70-acre preserve owned by the town and The Nature Conservancy.

— peter marteka, Courant Community, "Town Council Reviewing Two Glastonbury Land Purchases," 16 Mar. 2018
Virginia’s glacial pace of play places a massive emphasis on every possession.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc: Bengals' Cordy Glenn deal a fan-friendly upgrade; FC Cincinnati making its case," 13 Mar. 2018
Some women, fueled by impatience over the long-running fight for equality and the sense that the glacial pace of change would just not do, found large and small ways to protest — with pots and pans, raised fists, and howls of rage.

— elisabetta povoledo, BostonGlobe.com, "Global protests and pressure mark International Women’s Day," 8 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'glacial.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.