glamour

noun

glam·​our ˈgla-mər 

variants or less commonly glamor

1

: an exciting and often illusory and romantic attractiveness

the glamour of Hollywood

especially : alluring or fascinating attraction

—often used attributively

glamour stock

glamour girls

whooping cranes and … other glamour birds

—R. T. Peterson

2

: a magic spell

the girls appeared to be under a glamour

—Llewelyn Powys

glamour transitive verb

glamourless

ˈgla-mər-ləs 

adjective

Did you know?

In the Middle Ages the meaning of grammar was not restricted to the study of language, but included learning in general. Since almost all learning was couched in language not spoken or understood by the unschooled populace, it was commonly believed that such subjects as magic and astrology were included in this broad sense of grammar. Scholars were often viewed with awe and more than a little suspicion by ordinary people. This connection between grammar and magic was evident in a number of languages, and in Scotland by the 18th century a form of grammar, altered to glamer or glamour, meant “a magic spell or enchantment.” As glamour passed into more extended English usage, it came to mean “an elusive, mysteriously exciting attractiveness.”

Synonyms

• abracadabra
• bewitchment
• charm
• conjuration
• enchantment
• hex
• incantation
• invocation
• spell
• whammy

Examples of glamour in a Sentence

She left her hometown, attracted to the glamour of the big city.

an acting career filled with glitz and glamour

the glamour of the movie business

Recent Examples on the Web

But her glittery, earmuff-size headphones were, in the parlance, giving global glamour. —Bob Morris, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024

As a fellow Pisces herself, Nyong’o effortlessly captured the Neptunian glamour this Water sign is known to bring to the silver screen. —Valerie Mesa, People.com, 28 Oct. 2024

Mulrooney’s success, as a woman and an Irish immigrant with little education, was as improbable as the Fair View’s remote glamour. —Melanie Haiken, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024

The festival’s full-time programming team travels year-long to festivals such as the Berlinale, Cannes, and TIFF to scout the finest work, and the weighty influence of the American Film Institute ensures the glamour and the gravitas. —Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 22 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

from Scots glamer, glamour, by dissimilation from grammar grammar in sense "learning, erudition," popularly associated with occult practices

First Known Use

1715, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing glamour

• glamour boy
• glamour girl
• glamour-puss

Kids Definition

glamour

noun

glam·​our

variants also glamor

ˈglam-ər 

: romantic, exciting, and often misleading attractiveness