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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.

That’s a real shame, considering how interesting Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights” is if you can divorce yourself from the film’s source material, as its writer-director does with palpable glee.

From Salon • Feb. 23, 2026

"We don't want people relishing in glee at the tragedy of other people," she said.

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2026

Still, I’m going to stick with Paulson’s obvious glee in playing a villain.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 8, 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 breathed out, a rough gasp of glee, and Christopher stepped back.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

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.