glutinous
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of glutinous
1375–1425; late Middle English; < Latin glūtinōsus gluey, sticky. See gluten, -ous
Explanation
When you step in a glutinous substance, some of it will stick to your shoe and stretch as you step up. Glutinous means glue-like, or thick and sticky. The Latin word for glue was gluten, which is now the name of a substance found in wheat. Gluten is what makes pizza or bread dough stretchy and gooey, or glutinous. If you're baking a cake, you shouldn't mix it too much or it could become glutinous, or tough. When someone is on a gluten-free diet, it means they cannot eat wheat or other grains that contain gluten.
Vocabulary lists containing glutinous
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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.
One influencer gained 1.5 million views by chowing down on a model house made entirely of the glutinous strips.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
I started making pancakes with thinner and thinner batter, and replaced all-purpose flour with glutinous rice flour.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026
Celebratory traditions include making dim sum, such as red bean dumplings, steamed rice cakes and glutinous rice cake.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2024
His gochujang is made with malted barley, glutinous millet, coarse salt, Korean chili powder and powdered soybeans mixed in different proportions to create a finished product that can be nutty, sweet or spicy.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 20, 2023
Dumbledore raised his wand even higher, so that its light was thrown upon the walls, where something darkly red and glutinous was spattered over the wallpaper.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
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.
