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 See More
Recent Examples on the Web Being glib is hardly the most important attribute of a candidate. WSJ, 23 Nov. 2023 That’s an awfully glib connection to make, especially for an architect whose centerpiece fantasia at Hudson Yards has been closed for more than two years because visitors were, entirely predictably, jumping off. Justin Davidson, Curbed, 23 Oct. 2023 Sort of a slightly glib title and cover to get people interested, [instead of] another black-and-white photo of mansions, or from centuries of Jewish pain. Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 19 Sep. 2023 Ever since John Kennedy tapped Lyndon Johnson, his convention runner-up, as his running mate in 1960, the glib—and incorrect—assumption has been that such unity tickets are the norm. Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 11 Sep. 2023 The video was seen as a glib attack on trans youth, with Aldean subsequently dropping the humor and going on Fox News and other outlets to defend her views. Chris Willman, Variety, 15 Sep. 2023 That film turned glib cynicism into Oscar-bait rocket fuel, blasting past every thicket of fiscal confusion. Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2023 How to Become a Cult Leader The Bottom Line Sometimes clever, sometimes glib, always superficial. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 July 2023 The Label: Big Beat Records The Spiel: The title here isn’t just being pithy or glib, with the slick up-tempo pep Galantis has always delivered here carrying a message about Galantis’ Christian Karlsson actual ADHD diagnosis. Katie Bain, Billboard, 23 June 2023 See More

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 10 Dec. 2023.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on glib

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