glorious
6 synonyms and 0 antonyms for glorious, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Adj — Deserving great praise or admiration; magnificent.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
How to use glorious
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Etymology
From Old French glorïos, from Latin gloriosus, from gloria ("glory").
Full origin of glorious →Frequently asked questions
What does “glorious” mean?
The word “glorious” means deserving great praise or admiration; magnificent. In plain terms, splendid, magnificent, or wonderful — worthy of glory.
How do you pronounce “glorious”?
“Glorious” is pronounced GLAW-ree-uhs (/ˈɡlɔɹ.i.əs/ in IPA).
How do you use “glorious” in a sentence?
Here is “glorious” used in a sentence: “It was a glorious victory for the underdog team.”
What part of speech is “glorious”?
“Glorious” is an adjective.
Where does the word “glorious” come from?
The word “glorious” comes from Latin. From Old French glorïos, from Latin gloriosus, from gloria ("glory").
Is “glorious” a common word?
“Glorious” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.
How many meanings does “glorious” have?
“Glorious” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: deserving great praise or admiration; magnificent.
What is the difference between "glorious" and "magnificent"?
Both describe something deserving great praise or admiration, and in many sentences they are interchangeable. "Magnificent" tends to emphasise impressive scale or splendour, while "glorious" often carries a note of triumph or joy, as in "a glorious victory". Informally, "glorious" can also simply mean wonderful or delightful, as in "a glorious afternoon".
Is "glorious" formal or informal?
"Glorious" works in both registers. In formal writing it means deserving great praise or admiration, as in "a glorious achievement", while in everyday speech it is often used informally to mean wonderful or delightful, especially about weather, food, or experiences. Context makes the intended strength clear.
What is the difference between "glorious" and "glorified"?
"Glorious" is a genuine compliment meaning magnificent or deserving admiration. "Glorified" is usually dismissive: calling something "a glorified X" suggests it has been dressed up to seem grander than it really is, as in "the role is just a glorified errand-runner". The two words should not be swapped.
What nouns commonly go with "glorious"?
"Glorious" pairs naturally with nouns for achievements, weather, and experiences: a glorious victory, a glorious sunset, glorious weather, a glorious career, and glorious colours are all common collocations. In its informal sense of "wonderful", it also appears in phrases like "a glorious day out".