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
Paramount Profit: –$96M improved but still in red Revenue: $3B unchanged year-over-year
Sonic the Hedgehog may be super-fast but the change at his home studio moved at a glacial pace last year.
—
Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2025
The state also experiences two types of landslides: those with glacial thinning like the one in Barry Arm and also shallow landslides caused largely by permafrost degradation.
—Darren Orf, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Mar. 2025
The mask contains a high amount of glacial water and is rich in minerals, and after the three hours were up, any flakes around my nose had basically melted away.
—Maya Gandara, StyleCaster, 15 Mar. 2025
Seals, whales and fish swim in the frigid, glacial waters that lap its shores.
—Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for glacial
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Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2025
The state also experiences two types of landslides: those with glacial thinning like the one in Barry Arm and also shallow landslides caused largely by permafrost degradation.
—Darren Orf, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Mar. 2025
The mask contains a high amount of glacial water and is rich in minerals, and after the three hours were up, any flakes around my nose had basically melted away.
—Maya Gandara, StyleCaster, 15 Mar. 2025
Seals, whales and fish swim in the frigid, glacial waters that lap its shores.
—Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 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 25 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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