glory

noun glo·ry \ ˈglȯr-ē \

Updated on: 11 Apr 2018

plural glories

1 a : praise, honor, or distinction extended by common consent : renown

b : worshipful praise, honor, and thanksgiving

giving glory to God

2 a : something that secures praise or renown

the glory of a brilliant career

b : a distinguished quality or asset

The glory of the city is its Gothic cathedral.

3 a (1) : great beauty and splendor : magnificence

the glory that was Greece and the grandeur that was Rome
—E. A. Poe

(2) : something marked by beauty or resplendence

a perfect glory of a day

b : the splendor and beatific happiness of heaven; broadly : eternity

4 a : a state of great gratification or exaltation

when she's acting she's in her glory

b : a height of prosperity or achievement

ancient Rome in its glory

5 : a ring or spot of light: such as

a : aureole

b : a halo appearing around the shadow of an object

See glory defined for English-language learners

See glory defined for kids

Examples of glory in a Sentence

As a young soldier he dreamed of winning military glory.
He now has only a few trophies to remind him of the glory of his athletic career.
Let us give glory to God.
The glory of the town is its fountain.
an art exhibit showing off the glories of ancient civilizations
The new owners are trying to restore the company to its former glory.
The beautiful art reminds us of the glory of the empire.

Recent Examples of glory from the Web

By chance, Charley gets a job at the Portland Downs helping Del, a veteran horse trainer whose glory days are well behind him.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "Lean on Pete: A Deeply Sad Tale of a Boy and His Horse," 5 Apr. 2018
Arby’s has one way for Tiger Woods to re-capture his glory days at Augusta National: A meal at their restaurant.

— nina mandell, For The Win, "Arby's reserved a space for Tiger Woods across from the entrance to Augusta National," 4 Apr. 2018
Though Tesla said net orders for those cars hit a record in the first quarter, a 12% decline in actual deliveries doesn’t exactly recall the glory days of Henry Ford.

— charley grant, WSJ, "Tesla’s Model 3 Is No Model T," 3 Apr. 2018
His performance has Braves fans swooning and hoping for a return to the glory days in Atlanta.

— steve gardner, USA TODAY, "Why the Braves sent top prospect Ronald Acuna to the minors," 19 Mar. 2018
Mullen, who served as Florida’s offensive coordinator when the Gators won their last two national titles in 2006 and 2008, will look to turn the program around to its glory days.

— jordan mcpherson, miamiherald, "With spring football to begin, this team should set the standard in Florida | Miami Herald," 19 Mar. 2018
Meanwhile, over at the Pembrooke, the Andrewses and Lodges dine together, telling fun stories about the glory days of high school, until the parents excuse themselves to chat in the study…about Fred running for mayor.

— Teen Vogue, ""Riverdale" Recap Season 2 Episode 15: Archie Proves His Loyalty," 15 Mar. 2018
The midcentury ships reflected the spiky decorative taste of that period, but the glory days of ocean travel were soon to become a thing of the past, recalled through the fragmentary but potent evocations in this transporting exhibition.

— hamish bowles, Vogue, "Two If By Sea: In London, a Look at the World's Most Luxurious Ocean Liners," 2 Mar. 2018
In his pre-MLS glory days, Kaká scored some amazing goals for AC Milan.

— roger simmons, Pro Soccer USA, "Video: Kaká gone from MLS but not forgotten as player tries to re-create his iconic goals," 15 Feb. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of glory

Middle English glorie, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, from Latin gloria

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

glory Synonyms

Synonyms

augustness, brilliance, gloriousness, gorgeousness, grandeur, grandness, magnificence, majesty, nobility, nobleness, resplendence, resplendency, splendidness, splendiferousness, splendor, stateliness, stupendousness, sublimeness, superbness;

dignity, elegance, grace;

lavishness, luxuriance, luxuriousness, luxury, opulence, princeliness, richness, sumptuousness;

grandiosity, ostentation, pretentiousness;

elaborateness, flashiness, gaudiness, ornateness, poshness, ritziness, showiness, swankiness;

extraordinariness, remarkableness;

glory

verb

gloried; glorying

intransitive verb

: to rejoice proudly —used with in

gloried in their great success

See glory defined for English-language learners

Examples of glory in a Sentence

the whole city gloried in the home team's winning of the World Series

Recent Examples of glory from the Web

There was femininity, gloried in and defined multiple ways via dress.

— vanessa friedman, New York Times, "The Golden Globes’ 500 Shades of Black: Did It Work?," 8 Jan. 2018
The other orchestral choirs were far from neglected, however, and the Shostakovich gloried in robust brass playing.

— john von rhein, chicagotribune.com, "Nikolaj Znaider trades his violin bow for a baton and elicits admirable results from the CSO," 22 Dec. 2017
We were not made great as a country by indulging or even exalting our worst impulses, turning against ourselves, glorying in the things which divide us, and calling fake things true and true things fake.

— latimes.com, "Read Sen. Jeff Flake's speech announcing he will not seek reelection: 'I will not be complicit'," 24 Oct. 2017
On Truth We were not made great as a country by indulging or even exalting our worst impulses, turning against ourselves, glorying in the things which divide us, and calling fake things true and true things fake.

— kirsten korosec, Fortune, "Sen. Jeff Flake to Leave Senate: 'I Will Not Be Complicit'," 24 Oct. 2017
We were not made great as a country by indulging or even exalting our worst impulses, turning against ourselves, glorying in the things which divide us, and calling fake things true and true things fake.

— joe donatelli, Los Angeles Magazine, "You Cannot Appreciate the Brutal Savagery of Sen. Flake’s Resignation Speech Until You Read it in Full," 24 Oct. 2017
We were not made great as a country by indulging or even exalting our worst impulses, turning against ourselves, glorying in the things which divide us, and calling fake things true and true things fake.

— amber phillips, Washington Post, "‘I will not be complicit.’ Jeff Flake’s retirement speech, annotated," 24 Oct. 2017
Or did the notions that fed the circus die off in a nation that once gloried in the reach of empire, with strange creatures on display to certify Western Man's dominion over Earth?

— john kass, chicagotribune.com, "The circus just ran out of time," 24 May 2017

Origin and Etymology of glory

see ¹glory

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

glory Synonyms

Phrases

kick up one's heels;

glory

interjection

variants: or glory be

—used to express surprise or delight

Examples of glory in a Sentence

glory! I thought I'd never see this day come

Origin and Etymology of glory

see ¹glory

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1816

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

glory Synonyms

Synonyms

ha (or hah), hallelujah, hey, hooray (also hurrah), hot dog, huzzah, wahoo [chiefly West], whee, whoopee, yahoo, yippee;

Near Antonyms

alack, alas, aw, boo;

Related Words

wow, zowie;

ooh;

gee, gee whiz, gosh;

GLORY Defined for English Language Learners

glory

noun

: public praise, honor, and fame
: praise of a god or goddess
: something that brings praise or fame to someone or something : something that is a source of great pride