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
The Knik River Valley has everything from glacial hikes to horseback rides and dog sledding.
—
Brandon Withrow, Travel + Leisure, 1 June 2025
Mark it down For the first decade after Bezos founded Blue Origin in 2000, the company operated under the radar and seemed to move at a glacial pace.
—ArsTechnica, 30 May 2025
New research published on Thursday in Science finds that, under current climate policies, more than three quarters of the world’s glacial mass could disappear by the end of this century.
—Jen Schwartz, Scientific American, 30 May 2025
Record-high summer temperatures in 2022 and 2023 caused a 10% glacial ice loss in the country.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for glacial
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Brandon Withrow, Travel + Leisure, 1 June 2025
Mark it down For the first decade after Bezos founded Blue Origin in 2000, the company operated under the radar and seemed to move at a glacial pace.
—ArsTechnica, 30 May 2025
New research published on Thursday in Science finds that, under current climate policies, more than three quarters of the world’s glacial mass could disappear by the end of this century.
—Jen Schwartz, Scientific American, 30 May 2025
Record-high summer temperatures in 2022 and 2023 caused a 10% glacial ice loss in the country.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 29 May 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 5 Jun. 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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