1
: suggestive of ice: such as
a
: extremely cold : frigid
a glacial wind
b
: devoid of warmth and cordiality
a glacial handshake
c
: coldly imperturbable
maintained a glacial calm
2
: of a purity marked by the tendency to readily solidify in the form of ice-like crystals
glacial acetic acid
3
a(1)
: of, relating to, or being any of those parts of geologic time from Precambrian onward when a much larger portion of the earth was covered by glaciers than at present
(2)
capitalized
: pleistocene
b
: of, relating to, or produced by glaciers
c
: suggestive of the very slow movement of glaciers
progress on the bill has been glacial
Examples of glacial in a Sentence
Progress on the bill has been glacial.
a glacial weather front coming down from Canada will bring freezing temperatures this weekend
Recent Examples on the Web
Huge boulders — referred to as glacial erratics that were carried by glaciers during the last Ice Age — dot the landscape that’s forested with red maple, spruce and Canadian hemlock.
—
Jeanine Barone, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
Cocktails lean nostalgic too, whether memories drift back to icy cold martinis — here shaken until glacial with manzanilla olive brine and sea salt — or cosmos mixed with Grand Marnier.
Between the lines: Starr noticed a post-pandemic hunger for nostalgia.
—Anna Spiegel, Axios, 5 Mar. 2025
The erosion of glacial slopes also heightens the likelihood of floods, landslides and avalanches, increasing the risk to millions living in mountain communities.
—Kathleen Magramo and Esha Mitra, CNN, 4 Mar. 2025
With the ice gone, the crust is slowly rising again, in a process called glacial isostatic rebound.
—Ars Technica, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for glacial
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Jeanine Barone, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
Cocktails lean nostalgic too, whether memories drift back to icy cold martinis — here shaken until glacial with manzanilla olive brine and sea salt — or cosmos mixed with Grand Marnier.
Between the lines: Starr noticed a post-pandemic hunger for nostalgia.
—Anna Spiegel, Axios, 5 Mar. 2025
The erosion of glacial slopes also heightens the likelihood of floods, landslides and avalanches, increasing the risk to millions living in mountain communities.
—Kathleen Magramo and Esha Mitra, CNN, 4 Mar. 2025
With the ice gone, the crust is slowly rising again, in a process called glacial isostatic rebound.
—Ars Technica, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for glacial
Cite this Entry
“Glacial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glacial. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
glacial
adjective
gla·cial
ˈglā-shəl 
1
a
: extremely cold : frigid
b
: lacking warmth of feeling
2
a
: of, relating to, or produced by glaciers
b
: of, relating to, or being any of those parts of geologic time when a large portion of the earth was covered by glaciers
c
capitalized
: pleistocene
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