glib

adjective

\ ˈglib

glibber; glibbest

Definition of glib

1a : marked by ease and informality : nonchalant

b : showing little forethought or preparation : offhand glib answers

c : lacking depth and substance : superficial glib solutions to knotty problems

2 archaic : smooth, slippery

3 : marked by ease and fluency in speaking or writing often to the point of being insincere or deceitful a glib politician

Other Words from glib More Example Sentences Learn More about glib

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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

Comparisons between Sierra Burgess and Insatiable are inevitable, and Sierra’s mopey sincerity has a clear advantage when viewed next to Insatiable’s easy, glib cynicism. — Constance Grady, Vox, "Peter Kavinsky and Barb from Stranger Things can’t salvage Sierra Burgess Is a Loser," 7 Sep. 2018 The satire of bourgeois affluence can seem glib and overextended. — Ben Brantley, New York Times, "Review: ‘Is God Is’ Reinvents the Good, the Bad and the Ugly," 18 Feb. 2018 Macdonald has bombshell news here about child abuse allegedly suffered by Whitney and at least one brother, and Whitney is bit glib in holding up this news as an explains-it-all answer to her myriad problems. — Gary Thompson, Philly.com, "'Whitney': A moving, revealing look at the life of Whitney Houston," 4 July 2018 The show itself drew scrutiny for plot points and punch lines, especially with its third episode, which featured a glib exchange between Roseanne and her husband. — John Koblin, New York Times, "ABC Plans a ‘Roseanne’ Spinoff, Without Roseanne Barr," 21 June 2018 The emphasis clearly is on fun, with a lighter, more glib tone being the order of the day. — Chris Ball, cleveland.com, "Greta Gerwig's 'Lady Bird,' now on DVD and Blu-ray (review)," 16 Mar. 2018 Johnson’s comments, criticized as glib and ahistorical, angered both sides of the Irish border. — William Booth, Washington Post, "Northern Ireland has become an unexpected hurdle for Brexit," 28 Feb. 2018 Kugel’s question usually receives an answer either glib or condescending. — David Wolpe, New York Times, "Two Authors Examine Biblical History for Clues About Faith," 22 Dec. 2017 The worst part is uncovering how many people have been, and still are, complicit in enabling the abuse despite their glib denials. — Kareem Abdul-jabbar, The Hollywood Reporter, "Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: How #MeToo Can Help Right America's Wrongs in 2018," 18 Dec. 2017

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