glorious
Americanadjective
-
delightful; wonderful; completely enjoyable.
to have a glorious time at the circus.
- Antonyms:
- disgusting, unpleasant
-
conferring glory.
a glorious victory.
-
full of glory; entitled to great renown.
England is glorious in her poetry.
- Synonyms:
- distinguished, eminent, celebrated, noted, illustrious, renowned, famed, famous
- Antonyms:
- unknown
-
brilliantly beautiful or magnificent; splendid.
a glorious summer day.
-
Archaic. blissfully drunk.
adjective
-
having or full of glory; illustrious
-
conferring glory or renown
a glorious victory
-
brilliantly beautiful
-
delightful or enjoyable
-
informal drunk
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of glorious
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French glorieus, from Latin glōriōsus; equivalent to glory + -ous
Explanation
When something is fabulous and wonderful it can be described as glorious, like the glorious sight of the first flowers in your yard after a long, cold winter. The adjective glorious comes from the Latin word gloriosus, which means “full of glory,” or “famous.” What are some glorious things? The Grand Canyon, the Golden Gate Bridge, an Olympian's athleticism, the towering skyscrapers of New York City, autumn sunlight filtering through a forest of changing leaves, and the list goes on. If it is beautiful, amazing, fantastic and awe-inspiring, it’s glorious.
Vocabulary lists containing glorious
"Beowulf," Vocabulary from the epic poem
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"A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury
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Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I A Woman?" (1863)
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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.
His decision to reverse that international retirement has led to a glorious era of success for Messi and his nation.
From BBC • Jun. 22, 2026
"This detailed work on a bunch of simply glorious fossils nails it that they went straight into a juvenile phase so didn't need to go through the tadpole stage."
From Barron's • Jun. 18, 2026
That one also ended in brilliant fashion, with the stylish French team capping their glorious run with a 4-2 victory over Croatia’s gritty, gutty band of outsiders.
From Salon • Jun. 11, 2026
Happy Birthday to the glorious, untidy, steadfast, magnificent experiment that is the United States.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026
“Welcome, welcome! What a glorious night...actually, a truly marvelous night if I do say so myself...and I do say so.”
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.
