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
Synonyms
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
The Great Lakes were formed through a combination of geological and glacial processes spanning hundreds of millions of years.
—
Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
Maybe this would even lead to a new tier of storage: hot, cold, glacial and interplanetary.
—Russ Kennedy, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
As the climate warmed, a miles-wide ice dam on a glacial lake near Missoula, Mont., repeatedly failed, sending water whooshing downhill.
—Jovelle Tamayo, New York Times, 25 Dec. 2024
Regardless of views on climate change and global warming, the world's glaciers are increasingly retreating despite seasonal fluctuations and independent of natural glacial movement caused by factors like internal deformation.
—New Atlas, 10 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for glacial 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
Maybe this would even lead to a new tier of storage: hot, cold, glacial and interplanetary.
—Russ Kennedy, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
As the climate warmed, a miles-wide ice dam on a glacial lake near Missoula, Mont., repeatedly failed, sending water whooshing downhill.
—Jovelle Tamayo, New York Times, 25 Dec. 2024
Regardless of views on climate change and global warming, the world's glaciers are increasingly retreating despite seasonal fluctuations and independent of natural glacial movement caused by factors like internal deformation.
—New Atlas, 10 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for glacial
Dictionary Entries Near glacial
Cite this Entry
“Glacial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glacial. Accessed 15 Jan. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share