glad

play

adjective \ ˈglad \

Definition of glad

gladder; gladdest

1 archaic :having a cheerful or happy disposition by nature

2 a :experiencing pleasure, joy, or delight :made happy

b :made pleased, satisfied, or grateful —often used with of

was glad of their help

c :very willing

glad to do it

3 a :marked by, expressive of, or caused by happiness and joy

a glad shout

b :causing happiness and joy :pleasant

glad tidings

4 :full of brightness and cheerfulness

a glad spring morning

—

gladly

adverb

—

gladness

noun

See glad defined for English-language learners

See glad defined for kids

Examples of glad in a Sentence

We're glad you could come.
I'll be glad to answer any questions you may have.
The mail brought glad news from our friends in England.
We've been through some sad times and some glad times.

Recent Examples of glad from the Web

But after Charlottesville any future glad-handing is likely to be put on hold and left to private meetings and lobbying, according to people familiar with the matter.

— ben brody, Bloomberg.com, "GOP Leaders Are Courting Corporate America in Trump's Absence," 23 Aug. 2017
Which leads to the second best-case scenario: that Trump, a political neophyte motivated by glad-handing and deal-making, might be uniquely positioned to help implement a center-right, pro-business agenda.

— emily jane fox, The Hive, "The Bull Case for the Trump Presidency Collapses," 18 Aug. 2017
The Spanish troops and officials stationed in Guam were at first glad to have visitors when the USS Charleston arrived.

— doug herman, Smithsonian, "A Brief, 500-Year History of Guam," 16 Aug. 2017
But not all were glad for the dip in degrees, said the National Weather Service’s Johnny Berg after surveying social media.

— bob young, The Seattle Times, "The fleece is back: Wildfire haze exits Seattle and sweet breeze returns," 12 Aug. 2017
Letterman made a name for himself with his signature interview style, which eschewed Hollywood glad-handing in favor of more blunt, spontaneous conversation—a tactic that made some of his guests uncomfortable but also made for engrossing TV.

— laura bradley, vanityfair.com, "Letterman Would Love to Interview Trump and Kim Jong-un on His New Show," 8 Aug. 2017
So glad this rag of a site is looking out for ALL of us.

— howard gensler, Philly.com, "Man climbs City Hall tower, officials realize it when he posts video," 1 Aug. 2017
In Mosul’s eastern half (liberated in January and where life has largely returned to normal), Abadi glad-handed his way through crowds of civilians who greeted him with cheers while raising their smartphone cameras to commemorate the moment.

— nabih bulos, latimes.com, "Iraqi prime minister declares victory over Islamic State in Mosul," 9 July 2017
After settling his college future well past a normal recruiting period, Barry was only too glad to take the good-natured kidding.

— gene chamberlain, Post-Tribune, "Chamberlain: South Elgin's Kevin Barry earns late scholarship to Valparaiso," 1 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'glad.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of glad

Middle English, shining, glad, from Old English glæd; akin to Old High German glat shining, smooth, Latin glaber smooth, bald

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

glad Synonyms

Synonyms

blissful, chuffed [British], delighted, gratified, happy, joyful, joyous, pleased, satisfied, thankful, tickled

Antonyms

displeased, dissatisfied, joyless, sad, unhappy, unpleased, unsatisfied

Related Words

beaming, blithe, blithesome, buoyant, cheerful, cheery, gay, gladsome, lighthearted, sunny, upbeat; gleeful, jocund, jolly, jovial, laughing, merry, mirthful, smiling; beatific, ecstatic, elated, enraptured, entranced, euphoric, exhilarated, intoxicated, rapturous, rhapsodic (also rhapsodical); exuberant, exultant, jubilant, rapt, rejoicing, thrilled; hopeful, optimistic, rosy, sanguine

Near Antonyms

abject, aggrieved, anguished, blue, brokenhearted, dejected, depressed, despondent, disconsolate, disheartened, downcast, downhearted, forlorn, melancholy; doleful, dolorous, lachrymose, mournful, plaintive, sorrowful, sorry, woeful; black, dark, desolate, dispirited, gloomy, glum, gray (also grey), grieved, heartbroken, heartsick, miserable, woebegone, wretched

glad

verb

Definition of glad

gladded; gladding

archaic

:gladden

Examples of glad in a Sentence

it hath gladded my heart to see thy face again

Origin and Etymology of glad

see ¹glad

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

glad Synonyms

Synonyms

agree (with), content, delight, feast, gas [slang], please [archaic], gladden, gratify, pleasure, rejoice, satisfy, suit, warm

Antonyms

displease

Related Words

appease, mollify, pacify, placate, soothe; assuage, quench, sate, satiate; excite, tickle, titillate; amuse, divert, entertain, treat; captivate, charm; galvanize, thrill; calm, comfort; cater (to), humor, indulge; coddle, mollycoddle, pamper, spoil

Near Antonyms

aggravate, annoy, bother, bug, chafe, cross, exasperate, gall, get, grate, irk, irritate, nettle, peeve, perturb, pique, put out, ruffle, vex; anger, enrage, incense, inflame (also enflame), infuriate, madden, outrage, rankle, rile, roil, steam up; provoke, rouse; agitate, distress, disturb, fret, upset; harass, harry, pester; affront, insult, offend

glad

noun

Definition of glad

:gladiolus 1

Recent Examples of glad from the Web

Wow, what a year for flowers: peonies, dahlias, glads, ligularias — and most others for that matter.

— jeff lowenfels, Alaska Dispatch News, "Make the most of this exceptional summer for Alaska flowers," 4 Aug. 2017

First Known Use of glad

1923

Other Agriculture/Gardening Terms

fallow, graft, heirloom, loam, potash, soilage, swath, tilth, windfall

GLAD Defined for English Language Learners

glad

play

adjective

Definition of glad for English Language Learners

: feeling pleasure, joy, or delight
: very willing to do something
: causing happiness and joy

GLAD Defined for Kids

glad

play

adjective \ ˈglad \

Definition of glad for Students

gladder; gladdest

1 :being happy and joyful

She was glad to be home.

2 :bringing or causing joy

glad news

3 :very willing

I'd be glad to help.

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gladly

adverb

I would gladly help.

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gladness

noun

Learn More about glad

See words that rhyme with glad Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for glad Spanish Central: Translation of glad Nglish: Translation of glad for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of glad for Arabic speakers

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glad

Definition of glad

gladly

gladness

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Examples of glad in a Sentence

Recent Examples of glad from the Web

Origin and Etymology of glad

glad Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

glad

Definition of glad

Examples of glad in a Sentence

Origin and Etymology of glad

glad Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

glad

Definition of glad

Recent Examples of glad from the Web

First Known Use of glad

Other Agriculture/Gardening Terms

Phrases Related to GLAD

Related Phrases

GLAD Defined for English Language Learners

glad

Definition of glad for English Language Learners

GLAD Defined for Kids

glad

Definition of glad for Students

gladly

gladness

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