glory
Americannoun
-
glories
plural
-
very great praise, honor, or distinction bestowed by common consent; renown.
to win glory on the field of battle.
-
something that is a source of honor, fame, or admiration; a distinguished ornament or an object of pride.
a sonnet that is one of the glories of English poetry.
-
adoring praise or worshipful thanksgiving.
Give glory to God.
-
resplendent beauty or magnificence.
the glory of autumn.
- Synonyms:
- effulgence, refulgence, brilliance
-
a state of great splendor, magnificence, or prosperity.
-
a state of absolute happiness, gratification, contentment, etc..
She was in her glory when her horse won the Derby.
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the splendor and bliss of heaven; heaven.
-
a ring, circle, or surrounding radiance of light represented about the head or the whole figure of a sacred person, as Christ or a saint; a halo, nimbus, or aureole.
verb (used without object)
-
glories,
present (3rd person singular)
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gloried,
past participle, past
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glorying
present participle
-
to exult with triumph; rejoice proudly (usually followed byin ).
Their father gloried in their success.
-
Obsolete. to boast.
interjection
idioms
-
glory days / years, the time of greatest achievement, popularity, success, or the like.
the glory days of radio.
-
go to glory, to die. Also go to one's glory.
noun
-
exaltation, praise, or honour, as that accorded by general consent
the glory for the exploit went to the captain
-
something that brings or is worthy of praise (esp in the phrase crowning glory )
-
thanksgiving, adoration, or worship
glory be to God
-
pomp; splendour
the glory of the king's reign
-
radiant beauty; resplendence
the glory of the sunset
-
the beauty and bliss of heaven
-
a state of extreme happiness or prosperity
verb
-
to triumph or exult
-
obsolete (intr) to brag
interjection
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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glorysimple
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gloriessimple
-
have gloriedperfect
-
has gloriedperfect
-
am gloryingprogressive
-
are gloryingprogressive
-
is gloryingprogressive
-
have been gloryingperfect progressive
-
has been gloryingperfect progressive
Past
-
gloriedsimple
-
had gloriedperfect
-
was gloryingprogressive
-
were gloryingprogressive
-
had been gloryingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of glory
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old French glorie, from Latin glōria
Explanation
Glory is brilliant, radiant beauty. You might admire a princess in all her glory, since she seems almost too gorgeous to be real. Glory is also a term that is sometimes used in a religious way. It means the glow or light that appears around the head of a holy person or saint, like a halo. Another use of glory is a state of high honor gained from great achievements. If you have heard the expression "you're in your glory," it means that you are very happy and proud — you must have reached one of your big goals.
Vocabulary lists containing glory
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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.
See Examples For:
Meta has been basking in AI glory lately, having gathered some nine million users for its new personal AI agent, Muse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Angus Gunn didn't exactly cover himself in glory, either.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Oh, I long for the glory days of … Clay Helton!
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
Like Warrington, Wakefield have waited a long time to return to league glory, with a 58-year gap since their last title.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
The onset of autumn would turn the leaves into a cape of fiery hue, thus adding further glory to the name and legend of Redwall Abbey.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
In morning glories, researchers found that the population's rate of adaptation fell by 96% over nine years.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026
He remained a hero to swathes of his countrymen, who saw in him the Serbian martial spirit and an echo of the past glories of their nation.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Sometimes they featured celebrities recounting past glories or promoting their newest releases.
From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026
“Lonely in the Future,” which in part explains why the Strokes have no wish to replicate past glories, is the most direct song on the record.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
“But I gave that all up for the glories of a waitress gig. Let's not talk about it.”
From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle
I also gloried in writing high school sports stories for 10 cents an inch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2024
He again gloried in the spotlight on Thursday, as the purveyor of information about the whereabouts of Mr. Prigozhin.
From New York Times ● Jul. 6, 2023
"I think the critics are looking backwards to a gloried past, and fail to see the strategic picture vis a vis China and technology in a really disappointing way," he says.
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2023
I had taken off my head covering because of the heat and then stood in the open and gloried in the cool rain as it beaded on my head.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 18, 2022
He heard another woman laughing nearby, and knew that Bellatrix gloried in McGonagall’s despair.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
She said he "wasn't provided with the assistance he required" in the community, adding the way he "vacillates" when talking to police make it difficult to indicate "wilful glorying" over the death.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2021
So on Monday, when he should have been glorying in his victory, he apologised again.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 3, 2020
A video from Atlanta, in 2016, shows her glorying in one of her signature encores, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.”
From The New Yorker ● Oct. 3, 2019
Ed. note: I will be on vacation next week, glorying in the delights of the 35th state so we will have to leave the mailbag aside for a while.
From Fox News ● Jul. 26, 2019
I should be glorying in seeing Cardan like this.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
