glamour

or glam·or

[ glam-er ]

/ ˈglæm ər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR glamour ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the quality of fascinating, alluring, or attracting, especially by a combination of charm and good looks.

excitement, adventure, and unusual activity: the glamour of being an explorer.

magic or enchantment; spell; witchery.

adjective

suggestive or full of glamour; glamorous: a glamour job in television; glamour stocks.

Nearby words

Origin of glamour

1710–20; earlier glammar, dissimilated variant of grammar in sense of occult learning

Usage note

See -or¹.

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

Examples from the Web for glamour

I said that mixture of glamour and vulnerability is potent, especially if you can sense the vulnerability.
Daphne Merkin on Lena Dunham, Book Criticism, and Self-Examination|Mindy Farabee|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If confidence and strength were instilled in her at a young age, glamour was something she pursued.
Diane von Furstenberg: How I Learned to Love My Wrap Dress|Lizzie Crocker|October 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The glamour of the seaside resort has long since been eclipsed by spectacular violence.
Trading Dime Bags for Salvador Dali|Jason McGahan|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some on the Internet took umbrage with your comments to Glamour that your appearance has “never been my moneymaker.”
Anna Kendrick on ‘Pitch Perfect 2,’ Drunken Horror Stories, and Singin’ Pharrell|Marlow Stern|July 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Her Facebook page describes her as “an aspiring model looking to break into the world of glamour modelling.”
When Fame Is the Reason for Abortion, Does That Make It Wrong?|Tauriq Moosa|April 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was whispered, too, that a friend of Patty's with whom Annis was a great favorite had cast a glamour over the young lawyer.
A Little Girl in Old Washington|Amanda M. Douglas
The glamour with which affection can glorify even the rudest surroundings was denied him in his long life of seventy-six years.
Famous Firesides of French Canada|Mary Wilson Alloway
The glamour of war appeals strongly to most men, to some it calls with irresistible demand.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
Our memory of this place can't have the glamour torn away whatever happens.
It Happened in Egypt|C. N. Williamson
But when a man reached Sergeant Madden's age, glamour didn't matter.
A Matter of Importance|William Fitzgerald Jenkins

British Dictionary definitions for glamour

glamour

sometimes US glamor

/ (ˈɡlæmə) /

noun

charm and allure; fascination

fascinating or voluptuous beauty, often dependent on artifice
(as modifier)a glamour girl

archaic a magic spell; charm

Word Origin for glamour

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

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 glamour

glamour

1720, Scottish, "magic, enchantment" (especially in phrase to cast the glamor), a variant of Scottish gramarye "magic, enchantment, spell," alteration of English grammar (q.v.) with a medieval sense of "any sort of scholarship, especially occult learning." Popularized by the writings of Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832). Sense of "magical beauty, alluring charm" first recorded 1840.

glamour

1814, from glamour (n.). Related: Glamoured; glamouring.

glamour

or glam·or

noun

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of glamour

Usage note

Examples from the Web for glamour

glamour

sometimes US glamor

noun

Word Origin for glamour

glamour

glamour