glibber; glibbest
1
a
: showing little forethought or preparation : offhand
glib answers
b
: marked by ease and informality : nonchalant
c
: lacking depth and substance : superficial
glib solutions to knotty problems
2
: marked by ease and fluency in speaking or writing often to the point of being insincere or deceitful
a glib politician
3
archaic : smooth, slippery
glibly adverb
glibness noun

Examples of glib in a Sentence

Or they could have saddled us with "The Stranger," which had the mitigating charm of being glib and pretentious and would thus have kept the kids who were obviously going to end up at Bard happy. Joe Queenan, New York Times Book Review, 3 June 2007
The problem was that the candidate anticipated all the questions, knew all the answers and tended to pop out the reply the moment the question was asked; it made him seem like a smart aleck, too glib. William Safire, New York Times Magazine, 16 June 1991
Some of the glibbest persons in the nation are oddly tongue-tied when the Bible is brought up. Garry Wills, Under God, 1990
I expected a glib ladies' man, which he's not. He is an introspective man with deep emotions. Loni Anderson, quoted in People Weekly, 6 Nov. 1989
Politicians need to do more than provide glib answers to difficult questions. the actor's glib portrayal of a drug addict
Recent Examples on the Web By turns funny, dark, and inspirational in a way that feels hard-earned and genuine rather than glib or saccharine, Alone is a show about seizing the moment that could only have come from Rothwell’s scrupulous examination of her own life. Judy Berman, TIME, 10 Sep. 2024 As Rhaenyra understands, that would be too easy, too glib. Judy Berman, TIME, 5 Aug. 2024 That’s a little glib, but Dorit caring so deeply about her designer plane pajamas is shallow. Brian Moylan, Vulture, 17 Jan. 2024 Constellation Brands, Pernod Ricard, and LVMH have all reported a slump in consumer demand for scotch whisky, Cognac, bourbon, and other spirits, a marked reversal from the boom times during the height of the pandemic (as glib as that might sound, sales skyrocketed when people were staying home). Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 9 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for glib 

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

Word History

Etymology

probably modification of Low German glibberig slippery

First Known Use

1584, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Time Traveler
The first known use of glib was in 1584

Dictionary Entries Near glib

Cite this Entry

“Glib.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glib. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

glib

adjective
glibber; glibbest
: speaking or spoken with careless ease and often with little regard for truth
a glib excuse
glibly adverb
glibness noun

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