glee

play

noun \ ˈglē \

Definition of glee

1 :exultant high-spirited joy :merriment

dancing with glee

2 :a part-song for usually male voices

See glee defined for English-language learners

See glee defined for kids

Examples of glee in a Sentence

They were dancing with glee.
He could hardly contain his glee over his victory.

Recent Examples of glee from the Web

Recreational activities were also traditionally segregated by race, from sports teams to glee clubs.

— mitchel p. roth, Smithsonian, "Desegregation Came Early at the Texas Prison Rodeo," 30 Aug. 2017
Once the practice field went totally dark and the team paused the music, players guffawed and shrieked with glee.

— robert klemko, SI.com, "Eclipse 2017: Totality With the Titans," 21 Aug. 2017
Yet leftist Twitter and the liberal Web exploded with glee.

— david french, National Review, "On Immigration, Poetry Isn’t Policy, but Poetry Matters," 3 Aug. 2017
One of those State players has developed a wicked habit of subtweeting his glee when Ole Miss suffers some sort of major indignity, like self-imposing a postseason ban or having its head coach resign in disgrace.

— kevin scarbinsky, AL.com, "Ole Miss v. Mississippi State trumps the Iron Bowl rivalry in clean, old-fashioned hate," 26 July 2017
Coreen Duffy, in her fourth year as artist in residence in the field of vocal music/glee, will be teaming with pianist Alan Mason, former music director of Temple Israel in Miami, in guiding the singers to showcase distinct musical styles.

— marvin glassman, Jewish Journal, "Professional artists to guide teens at JCC ArtsFest," 26 July 2017
Michelle Lang, music director for the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute, tolerated their glee but looked dissatisfied.

— brendan kiley, The Seattle Times, "More than an arts tax: Seattle culture and politics leaders on the twists and turns of Prop. 1," 20 July 2017
Ariel's musically maniacal sisters are played with glee by Molly Mulhern, Jacquelyn Achord, Melanie Gardner, Allee Peck, Rachel Morris and Ayme Melancon.

— theodore p. mahne, NOLA.com, "Colorful, cheery 'Little Mermaid' makes big splash at Rivertown Theaters," 17 July 2017
But your glee became routine as Federer embarked on a seemingly endless string of wins, taking subsequent titles at Indian Wells, Miami, and Halle.

— chloé cooper jones, GQ, "Watching Roger Federer Means Witnessing Beauty and Cruelty," 17 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of glee

Middle English, from Old English glēo entertainment, music; akin to Old Norse glȳ joy, and perhaps to Greek chleuē joke

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

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glee Synonyms

Synonyms

cheer, cheerfulness, cheeriness, festivity, gaiety (also gayety), gayness, mirth, gleefulness, hilarity, jocundity, joviality, merriment, merriness, mirthfulness

Near Antonyms

blues, dejection, depression, despondence, forlornness, sadness, sorrow, unhappiness; bile, gloom, melancholy, sourness, spleen; earnestness, graveness, gravity, grimness, seriousness, soberness, sobersidedness, solemnity, solemnness; discontent, disgruntlement, moodiness; dolefulness, dolorousness, joylessness, mournfulness, plaintiveness, woe, woefulness; blackness, darkness, gloominess, glumness; desolateness, desolation; heartbreak, miserableness, misery, mourning, wretchedness

Other Music Terms

cacophony, chorister, concerto, counterpoint, madrigal, obbligato, presto, refrain, riff, segue

GLEE Defined for English Language Learners

glee

play

noun

Definition of glee for English Language Learners

: a strong feeling of happiness : great pleasure or satisfaction

GLEE Defined for Kids

glee

play

noun \ ˈglē \

Definition of glee for Students

:great joy :delight

—

gleeful

adjective

—

gleefully

adverb

Learn More about glee

See words that rhyme with glee Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for glee Spanish Central: Translation of glee Nglish: Translation of glee for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of glee for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about glee

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Definition of glee

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Examples of glee in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of glee

glee Synonyms

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Other Music Terms

GLEE Defined for English Language Learners

glee

Definition of glee for English Language Learners

GLEE Defined for Kids

glee

Definition of glee for Students

gleeful

gleefully

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