glacial

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adjective gla·cial \ ˈglā-shəl \

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

See glacial defined for kids

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

Castner Creek (Mile 217 of the Richardson Highway) is a torrent rushing from under glacial ice.

— john schandelmeier, Alaska Dispatch News, "Before whining, Alaska hunters should recall this tough hombre," 20 Aug. 2017
Back in those days, players were brought along at a glacial pace.

— jeff seidel, Detroit Free Press, "Jeff Seidel: Jim Harbaugh raves about new wave of U-M freshmen," 12 Aug. 2017
Roughly 15,000 years ago, the Levis and Trow mounds were islands that rose above a sea of glacial ice in northwest Wisconsin near Neillsville and Black River Falls.

— milwaukee, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Levis Mound attracts mountain bikers of all abilities," 11 Aug. 2017
The Trump transition continues: President Donald Trump has filled positions in his administration at a glacial pace.

— dan sweeney, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Wasserman Schultz on standing by Imran Awan until his arrest," 4 Aug. 2017
Trump, impatient with the Senate's glacial pace, asked for a candid assessment of the legislation's status from the veteran lawmakers, according to officials familiar with the meeting.

— author: sean sullivan, robert costa, kelsey snell, Alaska Dispatch News, "‘It’s an insane process’: How the health-care bill failed," 19 July 2017
Trump, impatient with the Senate's glacial pace, asked for a candid assessment of the legislation's status from the veteran lawmakers, according to officials familiar with the meeting.

— author: sean sullivan, robert costa, kelsey snell, Alaska Dispatch News, "‘It’s an insane process’: How the health-care bill failed," 19 July 2017
Trump, impatient with the Senate's glacial pace, asked for a candid assessment of the legislation's status from the veteran lawmakers, according to officials familiar with the meeting.

— chicagotribune.com, "‘It’s an insane process’: How Trump and Republicans failed on their health care bill," 18 July 2017
NASA's Gavin Schmidt and Penn State's Richard Alley both pointed out that the analysis assumed that all the warming involved in our glacial cycles comes from greenhouse gases.

— john timmer, Ars Technica, "Climate scientists push back against catastrophic scenarios," 12 July 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of glacial

Latin glacialis, from glacies

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First Known Use: 1656

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glacial Synonyms

GLACIAL Defined for English Language Learners

glacial

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adjective

Definition of glacial for English Language Learners

: of or relating to glaciers : produced or caused by glaciers
: very cold
: very slow

GLACIAL Defined for Kids

glacial

play

adjective gla·cial \ ˈglā-shəl \

Definition of glacial for Students

1 :of or relating to glaciers

glacial ice

2 :very cold

3 :very slow

a glacial pace

Learn More about glacial

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glacial

Definition of glacial

glacially

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GLACIAL Defined for English Language Learners

glacial

Definition of glacial for English Language Learners

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