glamour

Or glam·or

[glam-er]

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

/ ˈɡlæmə /

noun

1. charm and allure; fascination

2. 1. fascinating or voluptuous beauty, often dependent on artifice

   2. ( as modifier )

      a glamour girl

3. archaic,  a magic spell; charm

Spelling Note

See -or ¹.

Word History and Origins

Origin of glamour¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of glamour¹

C18: Scottish variant of _grammar (hence a magic spell, because occult practices were popularly associated with learning)

Example Sentences

A CMO role in sports can offer executives a more meaningful job than the corporate hamster wheel—but glamour and predictability can be in short supply.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

I worked there for a couple of years, and very quickly realized that the glitz and glamour that you see on TV is not exactly the reality.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Not with the glamour of a ‘Hunger Games’ spectacle, but the machinations of the state are the same.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It landed just as shoppers were loading up on boxed meals and non-perishable eats, a dissonance that feels almost poetic: a culture clinging to glamour even as the cupboards start to echo.

Read more on Salon

The glamour of Wall Street had replaced the dignity of the skilled laborer.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• allure 
• beauty 
• charisma 
• charm 
• color 
• prestige