glee

noun

ˈglē 

1

: exultant high-spirited joy : merriment

dancing with glee

2

: a part-song for usually male voices

Synonyms

• cheer
• cheerfulness
• cheeriness
• festivity
• gaiety
• gayety
• gayness
• gleefulness
• hilarity
• jocundity
• joviality
• merriment
• merriness
• mirth
• mirthfulness

Examples of glee in a Sentence

They were dancing with glee.

He could hardly contain his glee over his victory.

Recent Examples on the Web

The specifics of Musk’s climb down remain to be seen, but the fact that chatter about it is being received with such glee among Hill Republicans may be the validation that moves Trump to a hard yes on Musk’s shift. Make sense of what matters in Washington. —Philip Elliott, Time, 2 Apr. 2025

To investors’ glee, Trump even managed to mention doling out carve-outs. —Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 25 Mar. 2025

The possibility of a sympathetic racial interpretation of Othello’s rage is mostly voided by the evident racist glee of the writing. —Jesse Green, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025

The stories, jagged tales of sissies, losers, and assholes, showcase a more expansive palette and are written with sharp prose that crackles with transgressive glee. —Grace Byron, Vulture, 11 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English glēo entertainment, music; akin to Old Norse glȳ joy, and perhaps to Greek chleuē joke

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing glee

• glee club

Rhymes for glee

• be
• bee
• bree
• cree
• fee
• flea
• flee
• free
• gee
• ghee
• he
• ki

Kids Definition

glee

noun

ˈglē 

1

: high-spirited joy

2

: an unaccompanied song for three or more voices

gleeful

-fəl

adjective

gleefully

-fə-lē

adverb

gleefulness noun