glacial

adjective

gla·cial ˈglā-shəl

Synonyms of glacial next

: suggestive of ice: such as

: extremely cold : frigid

a glacial wind

: devoid of warmth and cordiality

a glacial handshake

: coldly imperturbable

maintained a glacial calm

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

glacial acetic acid

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

: of, relating to, or produced by glaciers

: suggestive of the very slow movement of glaciers

progress on the bill has been glacial

glacially

ˈglā-shə-lē

adverb

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 And creating a local supply chain—all while companies await a glacial permitting process—proved easier said than done. —

David Uberti, WSJ, 21 Nov. 2023 In the last few years, the Richmond, Virginia native has gotten really into glacial heartache ballads and sparkly synth-pop. —

Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 17 Nov. 2023 Its downtown recovery has been glacial, but its unemployment rate is low at 3.6 percent. —

Heather Knight Jim Wilson, New York Times, 26 Sep. 2023 The international response to the war has been glacial and the reaction to the situation in Darfur ever slower. —

Alex De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2023 Raging waters that ate away at riverbanks, destroyed at least two buildings and undermined others were receding Monday in Alaska’s capital city after a glacial dam outburst over the weekend, authorities said. —

Becky Bohrer, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Aug. 2023 Innlandet County remains the center of Norwegian glacial archaeology, and Secrets of the Ice claims to have made more than 3,700 finds there across some 65 sites. —

Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 18 Sep. 2023 Bulgaria With glacial lakes, spectacular mountain ranges, a coastline along the Black Sea and fascinating historical monuments, Bulgaria is developing into an attractive holiday destination in Europe. —

Preeti Shivani, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Nov. 2023 An analysis of the images shows more than 60% of the water held in the lake drained out after the extreme rainstorm triggered a glacial lake outburst. —

Reuters, CNN, 9 Oct. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'glacial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.