glee

[ glee ]

/ gli /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR glee ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

open delight or pleasure; exultant joy; exultation.

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

Nearby words

Origin of glee

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

SYNONYMS FOR glee

1. merriment, jollity, hilarity, mirth, joviality, gaiety. See mirth.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR glee ON THESAURUS.COM

glee

[ glee ]

/ gli /

Scot. and North England

verb (used without object)

to squint or look with one eye.

noun

a squint.

an imperfect eye, especially one with a cast.

Origin of glee

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

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

Examples from the Web for glee

It happened on Glee and in Sex and The City, and now in Japan women can marry themselves.
Why Singles Should Say ‘I Don’t’ to The Self-Marriage Movement|Tim Teeman|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And just last May Glee aired “Old Dog, New Trick,” the first episode scripted by Colfer.
Chris Colfer on Writing, Acting, and the Pain of Being A Pop Culture Trailblazer|Oliver Jones|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A shriek of glee briefly broke out across the Web as inquiring minds tried to deduce who was the lucky lady.
My Bizarre Night With James Deen, Libertarian Porn Star|Emily Shire|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She actively, and with glee, imbued their lives with an abundance of misery.
J.K. Rowling Pens the Greatest Horror Story Ever: Dolores Umbridge Was Real|Kevin Fallon|October 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Glee actress Lea Michele was seemingly dissed by Jessica Lange on the red carpet.
Why Does Everyone Hate Lea Michele?|Tim Teeman|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Along with the gleemen went the glee maidens, who were the dancing and acrobatic girls of the day.
Women of England, Volume 9 (of 10)|Burleigh James Bartlett
But suddenly the glee died—as suddenly as if a button had snapped off the current.
The Floating Island of Madness|Jason Kirby
Once they had him going they poised their pens in glee and began splashing their venomous ink.
The Blind Spot|Austin Hall
Those young gentlemen hailed the idea with glee, and called Wayne a public benefactor and many other flattering things.
For the Honor of the School|Ralph Henry Barbour
Captain Runacles waited at the foot of the garden, while his friend hurried into the house and returned in something like glee.
The Blue Pavilions|Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch

British Dictionary definitions for glee

glee

/ (ɡliː) /

noun

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

a type of song originating in 18th-century England, sung by three or more unaccompanied voicesCompare madrigal (def. 1)

Word Origin for glee

Old English gléo; related to Old Norse glӯ

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 glee

glee

Old English gliu, gliw "entertainment, mirth, jest, play, sport," presumably from a Proto-Germanic *gleujam but absent in other Germanic languages except for the rare Old Norse gly "joy;" probably related to glad. A poetry word in Old English and Middle English, obsolete c.1500-c.1700, it somehow found its way back to currency late 18c. In Old English, an entertainer was a gleuman (female gleo-mægden). Glee club (1814) is from the secondary sense of "unaccompanied part-song" (1650s) as a form of musical entertainment.

glee

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of glee

glee

verb (used without object)

noun

Origin of glee

Examples from the Web for glee

glee

noun

Word Origin for glee

glee