adj
glacial
GLAY-seerl
adj
1
Relating to glaciers or ice ages.
"The valley was carved by glacial movement thousands of years ago."
2
Extremely slow, like the movement of a glacier.
"Progress on the project has been glacial."
3
Very cold, or (of a manner) cold and unfriendly.
"She gave him a glacial stare across the room."
How to Use Glacial
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishRelating to glaciers or ice — or, by extension, extremely slow or icily unfriendly.
Common pairings
glacial pace
glacial period
glacial stare
Word Forms
more glacial comparative, glacials plural, most glacial superlative
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “glacial”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
The valley was carved by _____ movement thousands of years ago.
Etymology
From French glacial, from Latin glacialis, from glacies ("ice").