glade

noun

ˈglād

Synonyms of glade next

: an open space surrounded by woods

glady

ˈglā-dē

adjective

Did you know?

We know that glade has been with us since at least the early 1500s, though the word's origins remain a bit of a mystery. Glade, which originally was often used not just to indicate a clearing in the woods but one which was also filled with sunlight, may come from the adjective glad. In Middle English, glad also meant "shining," a meaning that goes back to the word's Old English ancestor, glæd. Glæd is akin to Old High German glat ("shining, smooth") and Old Norse glathr ("sunny"). It may also be a relative of Old English geolu, the ancestor of the modern English word yellow.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web The Bretton Woods Ski Resort is the largest ski area in New Hampshire, offering downhill skiers and snowboarders 464 acres of terrain and almost 100 trails and glades to explore. —

Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 11 Apr. 2023 There’s a breathtaking moment about halfway in, where an edenic image of a woman and man, placidly naked in the deep green of a jungle glade, hangs alongside a string of snapshots of Lawson’s cousin visiting her partner, and the father of her children, in prison. —

Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Nov. 2021 The sunlit glades and secluded coves, phosphorescent lagoons and susurrating groves had been mapped and surveyed, extolled in guidebooks and posted with Latin names. —

Chris Wheatley, Longreads, 16 Mar. 2023 Vast acreage with low skier density is what Big Sky is most famous for, but the skiing is also excellent, with plenty of terrain for every ability, from beginners to the most extreme experts, with glades, bumps and more, and not every large resort can say the same thing. —

Allison Olmsted, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2023 The Cavaliers are Byron and his gaggle of teen-age and post-teen-age followers who gather in the glade around his mobile home to procure and consume drugs, to drink cider and, sometimes, tea—this is England, after all—and to defy the rules imposed by schools, parents, society at large. —

Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 19 June 2022 Here, dining options are limited only by the guest’s imagination; arrange a picnic in a peaceful glade, a poolside barbeque, or dine in your Farmhouse Cottage with the Domaine’s bistro-style private chef service. —

Katie Kelly Bell, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2023 The ski area is located within Rib Mountain State Park and features plenty of runs for both beginners and experts, plus four terrain parks, four mogul runs and four glade trails. —

Chelsey Lewis, Journal Sentinel, 18 Jan. 2023 In one scene in the film, Gillon glides through a glade, a relatively quiet setting filled only with the sound of his skis on the powder, the twigs and snow crackling beneath him and his breathing. —

Julie Jag, The Salt Lake Tribune, 26 Dec. 2022 See More

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