glorious

adjective glo·ri·ous \ ˈglȯr-ē-əs \

Updated on: 1 Jan 2018

Definition of glorious

1 a : possessing or deserving glory : illustrious

had a long and glorious military career

b : entitling one to glory

a glorious victory

2 : marked by great beauty or splendor : magnificent

a glorious sunset

3 : delightful, wonderful

had a glorious weekend

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gloriously

adverb

—

gloriousness

noun

See glorious defined for English-language learners

See glorious defined for kids

Examples of glorious in a Sentence

He had a long and glorious military career.
The old ruins give only a hint of the city's glorious past.
The government has described the battle as a glorious victory.
Our room had a glorious view of the mountains.

Recent Examples of glorious from the Web

So the combination of the electric slide and Beyonce: glorious.

— Essence.com, "Tina Knowles, Beyonce and JAY-Z Are Every Black Family In This Electric Slide Video," 21 Dec. 2017
And certainly nothing so wild and glorious as an unexpected spot of fringe.

— stephanie zacharek, Time, "Phantom Thread Works Hard at Being a Masterpiece. But Is It?," 21 Dec. 2017
But what made his appearance last night both glorious and sad is that Montana has been replaced at quarterback by Steve Young.

— johnny miller, San Francisco Chronicle, "Montana’s bittersweet 49er finale, 1992," 20 Dec. 2017
The International Olympic Committee has now answered some of those questions, in excruciating and glorious detail.

— victor mather, New York Times, "Olympic Officials Issue Strict Crackdown on Tricolor (of Russia)," 20 Dec. 2017
What initially seems like another alienating P.T.A. outing reveals itself, in quiet but glorious bursts, to be a wry and heartfelt love poem.

— richard lawson, HWD, "Phantom Thread Review: The Most Surprising Love Story of the Year," 19 Dec. 2017
Star Wars started out basically as retro-movie fanfic written by a film-school student who grew up loving cinema in all its aspects both glorious and dumb, and that origin is baked into the series’ structure.

— lee hutchinson, Ars Technica, "Op-ed: Chill out, everybody—Star Wars has always been for kids," 18 Dec. 2017
Once glorious and glamorous, now weathered and worn, Coney Island as conjured by Storaro seems as much memory as a place.

— laura demarco, cleveland.com, "Woody Allen's 'Wonder Wheel' with Kate Winslet, Justin Timberlake bleak despite Coney Island setting: Review," 11 Dec. 2017
Just in time for the holidays, here comes a new brow trend that's equal parts glorious and awful, and yet completely awesome all at the same time.

— chloe metzger, Good Housekeeping, "Christmas Tree Brows Are Here to Haunt Your Holidays," 8 Dec. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of glorious

Middle English, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French glorios, from Latin gloriosus glorious, vainglorious, from gloria

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First Known Use: 13th century

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glorious Synonyms

Synonyms

august, baronial, epic, gallant, grand, grandiose, heroic (also heroical), Homeric, imperial, imposing, magnific, magnificent, majestic, massive, monumental, noble, proud, regal, royal, splendid, stately

Antonyms

humble, unheroic, unimposing, unimpressive

Near Antonyms

lowly, modest, unprepossessing; average, common, mediocre, ordinary, run-of-the-mill, second-rate; abject, mean, meretricious, shabby, sordid; insignificant, measly, paltry, petty, puny, trifling, trivial

Synonym Discussion of glorious

splendid, resplendent, gorgeous, glorious, sublime, superb mean extraordinarily or transcendently impressive. splendid implies outshining the usual or customary.

- the wedding was a splendid occasion

resplendent suggests a glowing or blazing splendor.

- resplendent in her jewelry

gorgeous implies a rich splendor especially in display of color.

- a gorgeous red dress

glorious suggests radiance that heightens beauty or distinction.

- a glorious sunset

sublime implies an exaltation or elevation almost beyond human comprehension.

- a vision of sublime beauty

superb suggests an excellence reaching the highest conceivable degree.

- her singing was superb

GLORIOUS Defined for English Language Learners

glorious

adjective

Definition of glorious for English Language Learners

: having or deserving glory, fame, or honor
: very beautiful or delightful

GLORIOUS Defined for Kids

glorious

adjective glo·ri·ous \ ˈglȯr-ē-əs \

Definition of glorious for Students

1 : having or deserving praise or admiration

glorious deeds

2 : having great beauty or splendor

glorious music

3 : delightful

glorious weather

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gloriously

adverb

Learn More about glorious

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

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glorious

Definition of glorious

gloriously

gloriousness

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Examples of glorious in a Sentence

Recent Examples of glorious from the Web

Origin and Etymology of glorious

glorious Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of glorious

GLORIOUS Defined for English Language Learners

glorious

Definition of glorious for English Language Learners

GLORIOUS Defined for Kids

glorious

Definition of glorious for Students

gloriously

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