gladden

verb

ˈgla-dᵊn How to pronounce gladden (audio)
Definition of gladdennext
as in to delight
to give satisfaction to it would gladden me to hear you sing again

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gladden But there’s something reliably gladdening about sitting down with a warm bowl that promises to nourish. — Karen Yuan, Bon Appétit, 1 Feb. 2025 But there’s something genuinely gladdening to take away from this inquiry into the modern media. — Jason Linkins, The New Republic, 18 Feb. 2023 The word from Washington is sure to gladden the Newsom campaign. — Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2021 Even a dead beaver, with its buck teeth sticking out of its decomposing skull, seemed to gladden Balken. — Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2021 That turnaround is sure to gladden the hearts of Republicans, who have no hope of controlling the White House without Texas. — Todd J. Gillman, Dallas News, 6 Sep. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gladden
  1. delight
  2. please
  3. satisfy
  4. warm
  5. feast
  6. amuse
Verb
  • Located in a petite strip mall off I-75, the doughnut shop lacks frills but delights with an array of yeast and cake-style doughnuts.
    — Lia Picard, AJC.com, 27 Sep. 2026
  • The independent company prioritized restoring the hotel, which has a place on the National Register of Historic Places, to its former splendor and updating it to delight modern sensibilities.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of delight
Verb
  • The series produced by Mia Oikanen for Warner Bros Int’l Television Production Finland tells of a shy theater prop master who accidentally becomes a killer while trying to please everyone around her, especially her narcissistic mom.
    — Annika Pham, Variety, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The question now is whether the New York audiences will prove harder to please — though even if NYFF reactions are more muted than those in Telluride, the film will likely retain some mystique headed into its mid-October theatrical debut.
    — Joe Reid, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of please
Verb
  • Even his eventual on-stage apology for not taking a stance couldn’t satisfy.
    — Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 25 Sep. 2026
  • So trying to figure out how to satisfy both these components is the top-level consideration.
    — Devon Ivie, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of satisfy
Verb
  • Powerful swells driven by recent storms amid a growing El Niño are warming ocean waters, causing sand erosion and drawing animals rarely seen to California’s shore.
    — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • His restaurants only sell Connecticut-style lobster, warmed with butter.
    — Sadie Chafe, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of warm
Verb
  • Georgia needed only 24 offensive plays to storm out to a 28-0 halftime lead as its defense forced and feasted on Oklahoma errors.
    — Mike Griffith, AJC.com, 27 Sep. 2026
  • The Jets aren’t exactly setting the world on fire offensively, but quarterback Geno Smith has feasted on the Lions defense in the past during his time in Seattle.
    — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of feast
Verb
  • This kind of conversation always leaves me half-amused, half-terrified.
    — Alicja Turczyk, The Dial, 29 Sep. 2026
  • With these four words, Courtney O’Donnell gave zillennials a brain-rot character to call their own, a dash of midsummer Dada to amuse people getting nothing done on their computers.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of amuse

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Cite this Entry

“Gladden.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gladden. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.

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