noun
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charm and allure; fascination
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fascinating or voluptuous beauty, often dependent on artifice
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( as modifier )
a glamour girl
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archaic a magic spell; charm
Spelling
See -or 1.
Etymology
Origin of glamour
First recorded in 1710–20; from Scots glamar, glamer, dissimilated variant of grammar in sense “occult learning”
Explanation
Glamour is the quality of being fascinating, alluring, or charming. If you've watched Marilyn Monroe on a movie screen, then you've witnessed glamour! The word glamour originally referred to a magical or even unreal charm or beauty attached to a person or an object. Today you can still glamour, or cast a spell over, someone, but you probably won’t. More often glamour is now used to mean a certain thrilling or attractive appeal. Glamour is more than just good looks — the right clothing, jewelry, attitude, or friends can produce glamour — the mark of a star.
Vocabulary lists containing glamour
And the Oscar Goes to... Award-worthy Words
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Awkward
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The Cruel Prince
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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.
"We want to bring glamour, we want to bring refinement, we want to bring grace back," Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas told AFP.
From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026
But our investigation has found that some of those working in the glamour modelling industry had concerns about Sullivan.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
But for others, it offers travel, friendship, and a whiff of glamour.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
Indiana’s lack of glamour is a point of pride, rooted in Midwestern practicality and endless flat fields of corn.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
Not even the movies could compare with the glamour of that afternoon.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
