glee

¹

[glee]

noun

1. open delight or pleasure; exultant joy; exultation.

   Synonyms: gaiety, joviality, mirth, hilarity, jollity, merriment

2. an unaccompanied part song for three or more voices, popular especially in the 18th century.

glee

²

[glee]

verb (used without object)

1. to squint or look with one eye.

noun

1. a squint.

2. an imperfect eye, especially one with a cast.

glee

/ ɡliː /

noun

1. great merriment or delight, often caused by someone else's misfortune

2. a type of song originating in 18th-century England, sung by three or more unaccompanied voices Compare madrigal

Word History and Origins

Origin of glee¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English glēo; cognate with Old Norse glȳ; akin to glow

Origin of glee²

1250–1300; Middle English glien, gleen; perhaps < Scandinavian; compare Old Norse gljā to shine

Word History and Origins

Origin of glee¹

Old English gléo; related to Old Norse glӯ

Synonym Study

See mirth.

Example Sentences

He eventually found the funny in that conundrum as well, incorporating the memory into his routine with satiric glee.

From Los Angeles Times

Plaza, on the other hand, approaches the project with joyful, anarchic glee, taking to heart Coppola’s own sense of play.

From Los Angeles Times

Whenever his team loses, whoever it is, it seems to be greeted with more glee than when most other managers lose, which is such an idiotic view.

From BBC

Few bands have celebrated the concept of a B-side as an excuse to explore all sorts of oblique ideas and atmospheric impressions with the glee of Saint Etienne.

From Los Angeles Times

Sour is an embodiment of glee, of pleasure and of great joy.

From Salon

Related Words

• delight 
• elation 
• exhilaration 
• exuberance 
• joy 
• pleasure 
• verve