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Synonyms

glee

1 American  
[glee] / gli /

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 American  
[glee] / gli /

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 British  
/ 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

"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

Related Words

See mirth.

Etymology

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

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.

“I think it would set their hair on fire,” Linda said, full of glee at the idea.

From Salon • Mar. 25, 2026

If England had been told they would play an Australia team without all of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon, they would have been rubbing their hands with glee.

From BBC • Dec. 9, 2025

Over a glass of red wine, Behn was occasionally interrupted when one of her television ads blared in the background, which she viewed with a mix of glee and sheer disbelief.

From Slate • Dec. 2, 2025

Sunday and Monday brought a cluster of larger deal announcements, stoking investor glee over an easier environment for big company tie-ups.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025

He smiled at her, his long mustache wiggling with glee.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

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.