glacial

8 synonyms and 2 antonyms for glacial, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Adj — Relating to glaciers or ice ages.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

frozen

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

icy polar arctic

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

frosty gelid wintry frigid

Synonyms by Meaning

1. adj

Relating to glaciers or ice ages.

“The valley was carved by glacial movement thousands of years ago.”

frosty icy gelid frozen wintry frigid polar arctic

2. adj

Extremely slow, like the movement of a glacier.

“Progress on the project has been glacial.”

Opposites

zippy

3. adj

Very cold, or (of a manner) cold and unfriendly.

“She gave him a glacial stare across the room.”

Opposites

hot

How to use glacial

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

glacial pace glacial period glacial stare

Etymology

From French glacial, from Latin glacialis, from glacies ("ice").

Full origin of glacial →

Frequently asked questions

What does “glacial” mean?

The word “glacial” means relating to glaciers or ice ages. In plain terms, relating to glaciers or ice — or, by extension, extremely slow or icily unfriendly.

How do you pronounce “glacial”?

“Glacial” is pronounced GLAY-seerl (/ˈɡleɪ.sɪəl/ in IPA).

How do you use “glacial” in a sentence?

Here is “glacial” used in a sentence: “The valley was carved by glacial movement thousands of years ago.”

What part of speech is “glacial”?

“Glacial” is an adjective.

Where does the word “glacial” come from?

The word “glacial” comes from Latin. From French glacial, from Latin glacialis, from glacies ("ice").

Is “glacial” a common word?

“Glacial” is an uncommon word in modern English.

How many meanings does “glacial” have?

“Glacial” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: relating to glaciers or ice ages.

People also searched

hot frozen Arctic polar icy frosty gelid frigid zippy wintry

Nearby words

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