glacial
characterized by the presence of ice in extensive masses or glaciers.
bitterly cold; icy: a glacial winter wind.
happening or moving extremely slowly: The work proceeded at a glacial pace.
icily unsympathetic or immovable: a glacial stare; glacial indifference.
Chemistry. of, relating to, or tending to develop into icelike crystals: glacial phosphoric acid.
Origin of glacial
1Other words for glacial
Other words from glacial
- gla·cial·ly, adverb
- non·gla·cial, adjective
- non·gla·cial·ly, adverb
- un·gla·cial, adjective
- un·gla·cial·ly, adverb
Words Nearby glacial
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use glacial in a sentence
The satellite images seem to point clearly to such a landslide, rather than a typical glacial lake overflow, Shugar says.
Three things to know about the disastrous flood in India | Carolyn Gramling | February 9, 2021 | Science NewsThis research could provide a key piece of evidence in that case, by directly connecting emissions to the growth of the glacial lake.
A looming climate disaster threatens the lives of 6,000 Peruvians | Philip Kiefer | February 9, 2021 | Popular-ScienceThe ice here is effectively the remnants of what were probably more extensive glacial structures in the past.
These might be the best places for future Mars colonists to look for ice | Neel Patel | February 8, 2021 | MIT Technology ReviewThe astonishingly fast development of safe and effective vaccines is being stymied by the glacial pace of actual vaccinations while 3,000 Americans die each day.
Researchers found that microbes collected from Icelandic glacial streams rich in dissolved hydrogen were better adapted to use the gas than those from a Canadian glacial stream where hydrogen was less plentiful.
Glacier-dwelling bacteria thrive on chemical energy derived from rocks and water | Kate Baggaley | December 30, 2020 | Popular-Science
Many thousands of years ago, glacial floods swept through the area and carved out the sloping sides of the current grounds.
“Americans will never drive a small car,” said the man from GM with glacial confidence.
Folks are taking cold showers already, and the weather soon will be glacial.
My partner Brandon and I awake at the crack of dawn for a canoe ride on the milky blue glacial waters of Lake Louise.
For a church that moves at a glacial pace, the murmurings of Bishops like Tobin are lightning fast and boldly subversive.
Science teaches that man existed during the glacial epoch, which was at least fifty thousand years before the Christian era.
God and my Neighbour | Robert BlatchfordBut scorn is far more volcanic than glacial and a poor barrier between sex and judgment.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonLet dry, apply a cover-glass, and run glacial acetic acid underneath it.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddStill water runs deep, they say; and a glacial cap may conceal subterranean fires.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. SinclairFurther study will reveal the fact that the difference is due to the lack of oxidation in the case of the glacial detritus.
Outlines of the Earth's History | Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
British Dictionary definitions for glacial
/ (ˈɡleɪsɪəl, -ʃəl) /
characterized by the presence of masses of ice
relating to, caused by, or deposited by a glacier
extremely cold; icy
cold or hostile in manner: a glacial look
(of a chemical compound) of or tending to form crystals that resemble ice: glacial acetic acid
very slow in progress: a glacial pace
Derived forms of glacial
- glacially, adverb
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
Scientific definitions for glacial
[ glā′shəl ]
Relating to or derived from a glacier.
Characterized or dominated by the existence of glaciers, as the Pleistocene Epoch.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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