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
Here, wild terrain abounds, including cliffs that disappear into glacial waters, dense forests, and pebbled beaches.
—
Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 15 Dec. 2025
At the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve in East Bethel, truffle top black spruces, cotton grass puffs, colorful mosses and carnivorous plants fill in where glacial lakes retreated.
—Erin Hassanzadeh, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for glacial
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Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 15 Dec. 2025
At the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve in East Bethel, truffle top black spruces, cotton grass puffs, colorful mosses and carnivorous plants fill in where glacial lakes retreated.
—Erin Hassanzadeh, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for glacial
Cite this Entry
“Glacial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glacial. Accessed 20 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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