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)
Glacial
: 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
Brendon Bigcas, 28, is built like a man who spends his mornings braving the glacial waters of the Pacific, not staring down a pastry case.
—
Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 25 Nov. 2025
Another place that draws in hungry bears is the glacial-runoff river, from whose source the town gets fresh water.
—Ben Taub, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
The most significant of glacial archaeological finds is Ötzi the Iceman, a 5,300-year-old mummy discovered in the Ötztal Alps in 1991, but as climate change accelerates, glaciers are coughing up more and more secrets, like the body discovered last month.
—Outside, 18 Nov. 2025
As the tilt lessens, the ice retreats again, carving and refilling terrain in rhythmic cycles that mirror Earth's own glacial epochs.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 14 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for glacial
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Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 25 Nov. 2025
Another place that draws in hungry bears is the glacial-runoff river, from whose source the town gets fresh water.
—Ben Taub, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
The most significant of glacial archaeological finds is Ötzi the Iceman, a 5,300-year-old mummy discovered in the Ötztal Alps in 1991, but as climate change accelerates, glaciers are coughing up more and more secrets, like the body discovered last month.
—Outside, 18 Nov. 2025
As the tilt lessens, the ice retreats again, carving and refilling terrain in rhythmic cycles that mirror Earth's own glacial epochs.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 14 Nov. 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 8 Dec. 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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