Synonyms

glib

American

[glib] / glɪb /

adjective

glibber, glibbest

readily fluent, often thoughtlessly, superficially, or insincerely so.

a glib talker; glib answers.

Synonyms:

smooth, facile, loquacious, talkative
easy or unconstrained, as actions or manners.
Archaic. agile; spry.

glib British

/ ɡlɪb /

adjective

fluent and easy, often in an insincere or deceptive way

"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

Related Words

See fluent.

Other Word Forms

glibly adverb
glibness noun
unglib adjective

Etymology

Origin of glib

First recorded in 1585–95; compare obsolete glibbery “slippery” (cognate with Dutch glibberig )

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.

So for his children not to show up in any way, and to be glib about his experience, is, well, a choice.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 22, 2026

Mr. Braude is suitably critical of his subject for her sometimes glib approach to life-and-death matters, and he pegs her appeal as “delivering hard news as if it was light gossip.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 19, 2026

I don’t mean to sound trite or wilfully glib, but it’s merely the truth that every ending is followed by a beginning.

From Salon • Dec. 17, 2025

I am not trying to be glib myself.

From Slate • May 13, 2025

At best they got shrugs and glib answers.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023