glacial

[ gley-shuhl ]

/ ˈgleɪ ʃəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR glacial ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of or relating to glaciers or ice sheets.

resulting from or associated with the action of ice or glaciers: glacial terrain.

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.

Nearby words

Origin of glacial

1650–60; < Latin glaciālis icy, equivalent to glaci(ēs) ice + -ālis -al¹

SYNONYMS FOR glacial

4. chill, freezing, frigid, wintry. 6. forbidding, unfriendly, hostile.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR glacial ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

gla·cial·ly, adverbnon·gla·cial, adjectivenon·gla·cial·ly, adverbun·gla·cial, adjective

un·gla·cial·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for glacial

Many thousands of years ago, glacial floods swept through the area and carved out the sloping sides of the current grounds.
Brooklyn’s Gangster Graveyard|Nina Strochlic|October 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Americans will never drive a small car,” said the man from GM with glacial confidence.
Nationalism on Four Wheels|Clive Irving|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Folks are taking cold showers already, and the weather soon will be glacial.
In Ukraine, Winter Is Coming|Anna Nemtsova|September 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For a church that moves at a glacial pace, the murmurings of Bishops like Tobin are lightning fast and boldly subversive.
A Coming American Schism Over Pope Francis?|Candida Moss|September 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The often glacial pace of change can prove particularly frustrating to former clerks who return as justices.
Advice for a New Justice|Seth Stern, Stephen Wermiel|October 5, 2010|DAILY BEAST
"No; because I would not have her imagine I remember enough for prejudice," Stanief answered, with glacial indifference.
The Game and the Candle|Eleanor M. Ingram
Lithological heterogeneity is one of the notable characteristics of glacial formations.
The Geography of the Region about Devils Lake and the Dalles of the Wisconsin|Rollin D. Salisbury
Moreover, they are highly metamorphosed so that, even if glacial tills existed, it would be hard to recognize them.
Climatic Changes|Ellsworth Huntington
The first theory named is that the glacial period is due to the decrease of the original heat in our climate.
Nature's Miracles, Volume 1|Elisha Gray
They may have been boulders deposited in the district by the ice-drift of the Glacial Epoch.
Early Britain--Roman Britain|Edward Conybeare

British Dictionary definitions for glacial

glacial

/ (ˈɡleɪsɪəl, -ʃəl) /

adjective

characterized by the presence of masses of ice

relating to, caused by, or deposited by a glacier

extremely cold; icy

cold or hostile in mannera glacial look

(of a chemical compound) of or tending to form crystals that resemble iceglacial acetic acid

very slow in progressa glacial pace

Derived Formsglacially, 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

Word Origin and History for glacial

glacial

adj.

1650s, "cold, icy," from French glacial, from Latin glacialis "icy, frozen, full of ice," from glacies "ice," probably from PIE root *gel- "cold" (cf. Latin gelu "frost;" see cold (adj.)). Geological sense apparently coined in 1846 by British naturalist Edward Forbes (1815-1854). Related: Glacially.

Science definitions for glacial