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Synonyms

glamour

American  
[glam-er] / ˈglæm ər /
Or glamor

noun

  1. the quality of fascinating, alluring, or attracting, especially by a combination of charm and good looks.

  2. excitement, adventure, and unusual activity.

    the glamour of being an explorer.

  3. magic or enchantment; spell; witchery.

adjective

  1. suggestive or full of glamour; glamorous.

    a glamour job in television; glamour stocks.
glamour British  
/ ˈɡlæmə /

noun

  1. charm and allure; fascination

    1. fascinating or voluptuous beauty, often dependent on artifice

    2. ( as modifier )

      a glamour girl

  3. archaic a magic spell; charm

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Spelling

See -or 1.

Etymology

Origin of glamour

First recorded in 1710–20; from Scots glamar, glamer, dissimilated variant of grammar in sense “occult learning”

Explanation

Glamour is the quality of being fascinating, alluring, or charming. If you've watched Marilyn Monroe on a movie screen, then you've witnessed glamour! The word glamour originally referred to a magical or even unreal charm or beauty attached to a person or an object. Today you can still glamour, or cast a spell over, someone, but you probably won’t. More often glamour is now used to mean a certain thrilling or attractive appeal. Glamour is more than just good looks — the right clothing, jewelry, attitude, or friends can produce glamour — the mark of a star.

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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.

Sheridan recently told Glamour that he had a love/hate relationship with the city that plays out in “The Madison” through Preston and, eventually, with Stacy.

From Salon • Mar. 23, 2026

And the Actor Awards, held two weeks ago, were themed “Reimagining Hollywood Glamour from the ‘20s and ‘30s.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2026

In an interview with Glamour, he revealed he met his future wife at Coachella and they later got together following a Halloween party.

From BBC • Jan. 20, 2026

Traffic for Vanity Fair and Glamour tumbled nearly 40% to 6.5 million and 6.4 million, respectively, in the same period.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 26, 2025

Mr. Flores puts the class in pairs, and for a moment I think he’s going to have the two of us get together, but instead I am partnered with Glamour Girl.

From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson

Definitions 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.