glorious
Americanadjective
-
delightful; wonderful; completely enjoyable.
to have a glorious time at the circus.
- Antonyms:
- disgusting, unpleasant
-
conferring glory.
a glorious victory.
-
full of glory; entitled to great renown.
England is glorious in her poetry.
- Synonyms:
- distinguished, eminent, celebrated, noted, illustrious, renowned, famed, famous
- Antonyms:
- unknown
-
brilliantly beautiful or magnificent; splendid.
a glorious summer day.
-
Archaic. blissfully drunk.
adjective
-
having or full of glory; illustrious
-
conferring glory or renown
a glorious victory
-
brilliantly beautiful
-
delightful or enjoyable
-
informal drunk
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of glorious
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French glorieus, from Latin glōriōsus; equivalent to glory + -ous
Explanation
When something is fabulous and wonderful it can be described as glorious, like the glorious sight of the first flowers in your yard after a long, cold winter. The adjective glorious comes from the Latin word gloriosus, which means “full of glory,” or “famous.” What are some glorious things? The Grand Canyon, the Golden Gate Bridge, an Olympian's athleticism, the towering skyscrapers of New York City, autumn sunlight filtering through a forest of changing leaves, and the list goes on. If it is beautiful, amazing, fantastic and awe-inspiring, it’s glorious.
Vocabulary lists containing glorious
"Beowulf," Vocabulary from the epic poem
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"A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury
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Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I A Woman?" (1863)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The glorious ski season is fast-approaching, and when the swirling snows of December roll around, I’ll be turning 74.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
The ability to stir the emotions of a crowd never left him - even in what proved to be the final tour-level match of the 41-year-old Swiss star's glorious career.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
If we follow their example, then maybe we’ll all get the best party ever, surrounded by glorious, smart, funny, talented and ready-to-rumble peers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
What a glorious, warm and strangely pertinent observation — something Eleanor couldn’t have understood the relevance of at the time.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026
Clare clapped his paws over his eye, laughing with glorious relief.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
