- present participle of glow.
glowing
Americanadjective
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rich and warm in coloring.
glowing colors.
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showing the radiance of health, excitement, etc..
glowing cheeks.
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warmly favorable or complimentary.
a glowing account of her work.
- Synonyms:
- unstinting, rapturous, enthusiastic, wholehearted, ardent
adjective
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emitting a steady bright light without flames
glowing embers
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warm and rich in colour
the room was decorated in glowing shades of gold and orange
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flushed and rosy, as from exercise or excitement
glowing cheeks
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displaying or indicative of extreme satisfaction, pride, or emotion
he gave a glowing account of his son's achievements
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of glowing
before 1000; Middle English glowynge, Old English glowende. See glow, -ing 2
Explanation
If something is glowing, it's either lit up like a light or it's full of praise and enthusiasm. So, you could receive a glowing candle or a glowing report card. You choose. When a report or account is glowing, it's unreservedly positive, like a book critic's glowing review of a new mystery novel or your grandmother's glowing praise for the good job you did mowing her lawn. Glowing comes from glow, which can mean "a flush of radiant feeling," and which comes from the Old English glowan, "to glow or shine as if red-hot."
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.
Many Wall Street analysts just became free to publish investment recommendations on SpaceX, and they largely offered glowing praise of the company and its goals.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 7, 2026
Hydrogen alpha light allows astronomers to pinpoint some of the youngest stars hidden inside the glowing gas.
From Science Daily • Jul. 5, 2026
The “great room” — the home’s centerpiece — hosts a two-story fireplace with a glowing water feature mimicking rainfall above it.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 29, 2026
"We try to make it fun," says Cem Bakiş, head of business development at WaterH, which has a glowing ring that blinks in order to prompt its owner to take a drink.
From BBC • Jun. 22, 2026
Nansi asks, glowing tears threatening to fall from his silver eyes.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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.
