glassy

[ glas-ee, glah-see ]

adjective

, glass·i·er, glass·i·est.

1. resembling glass, as in transparency or smoothness.
2. expressionless; dull:

   glassy eyes; a glassy stare.

3. of the nature of glass; vitreous.

noun

, plural glass·ies.

1. Also Marbles. a marble used as a shooter.

glassy

/ ˈɡlɑːsɪ /

adjective

1. resembling glass, esp in smoothness, slipperiness, or transparency
2. void of expression, life, or warmth

   a glassy stare

Derived Forms

• ˈglassily, adverb
• ˈglassiness, noun

Other Words From

• glassi·ly adverb
• glassi·ness noun
• un·glassy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of glassy¹

First recorded in 1350–1400, glassy is from the Middle English word glasy. See glass, -y ¹

Example Sentences

Jani, a 4-foot plush giraffe, arrived on my doorstep in mid-July, her neck bent backwards so that she could fit in the FedEx box, her brown eyes glassy, as if still finding her bearings after a long journey at sea.

From Time

The best part of having access to a small boat like a kayak is being out on the water with it—paddling through small waves just choppy enough to make the excursion feel like an adventure, or cruising across flat water that’s glassy and smooth.

From Popular-Science

The moment my plane touched down on the glassy water of Naknek Lake, I felt like my heart might burst out of my chest with excitement.

From Outside Online

I waited in the cold until eventually Elías, crouched on his knees, began to pull out chunks of a dark glassy substance.

From Outside Online

The pressure to churn out enough content to entertain millions of glassy-eyed hermits, coupled with the difficulty of safely producing said content, has meant an explosion in documentary series and foreign-language imports.

From Time

Paddling across the glassy flat surface feels like sliding through warm butter.

From The Daily Beast

From the street, it is an irregular glassy jewel jammed into the plaza, miniature in relation to the 105-story One World Trade.

From The Daily Beast

Little Hossein was pale and his eyes looked glassy and expressionless.

From The Daily Beast

She wears no make-up, her eyes are glassy, and her feverish cheeks are aglow.

From The Daily Beast

The figure of the old man clutching the  violin and staring with glassy eyes into the dying fire would not away.

From Project Gutenberg

I took heart, approached him, and raised the head-cloth, which had fallen over a part of his face; two glassy eyes stared at me.

From Project Gutenberg

The canoe glided swiftly along, making the only ripples there were on the glassy surface of the bay.

From Project Gutenberg

David, terrified, lifted the half-closed eyelid of the youth: his eye was immovable, dull and glassy.

From Project Gutenberg

A light skiff, blue as the waters, was shooting across the glassy surface under a steady oar.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• glazed
• icy
• shiny
• sleek