glorious

English

Etymology

From Middle English glorious, from Anglo-Norman glorius and Old French glorïos, from Latin glōriōsus. Displaced native Middle English wulderful, from Old English wuldorfull (“glorious”), among other terms.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡlɔː.ɹi.əs/
• IPA^(key): /ˈɡlɔɹ.i.əs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔːɹiəs

Adjective

glorious (comparative more glorious or gloriouser, superlative most glorious or gloriousest)

1. Exhibiting attributes, qualities, or acts that are worthy of or receive glory.

   glorious deeds

   • 1604, William Shakespeare, Othello, Act III, Scene III, line 351:

     Farewell the neighing steed, and the shrill trump, / The spirit-stirring drum, th’ ear-piercing fife, / The royal banner, and all quality, / Pride, pomp and circumstance of glorious war!

2. excellent, wonderful
   • (Can we date this quote by John Milton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?):

     These are thy glorious works, Parent of good.

   • 2012 August 23, Alasdair Lamont, “Hearts 0-1 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport‎^[1]:

     Borini missed another glorious opportunity to give his side the lead after brilliant set-up play by Sterling, but with only the exposed keeper to beat, he struck the post.

3. bright or shining;

   Synonyms: splendid, resplendent, bright, shining

   • 1590, William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part II, Act III, Scene I, line 351

     And this fell tempest shall not cease to rage / Until the golden circuit on my head, / Like to the glorious sun’s transparent beams, / Do calm the fury of this mad-bred flaw.

4. (obsolete) Eager for glory or distinction

   Synonyms: haughty, boastful, ostentatious, vainglorious

   • 1609, William Shakespeare, Cymbeline, Act I, Scene VI, line 6:

     […] but most miserable / Is the desire that’s glorious: blest be those, / How mean soe’er, that have their honest wills, / Which seasons comfort. […]

5. (archaic, colloquial) Ecstatic; hilarious; elated with drink.
   • (Can we date this quote by Robert Burns and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     […] kings may be blest, but Tam was glorious, O’er all the ills of life victorious.

   • (Can we date this quote by John Dryden and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     During his office treason was no crime, The sons of Belial had a glorious time.

Derived terms

• gloriousness

Related terms

• glorify
• glory

Translations

exhibiting attributes, qualities, or acts that are worthy of or receive glory

• Bulgarian: славен (bg) (slaven), прославен (bg) (proslaven)
• Catalan: gloriós
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 光榮／光荣 (zh) (guāngróng), 光荣 (zh) (guāngróng), 壯麗／壮丽 (zh) (zhuànglì), 壮丽 (zh) (zhuànglì), 優秀／优秀 (zh) (yōuxiù), 优秀 (zh) (yōuxiù), 宏偉／宏伟 (zh) (hóngwěi), 宏伟 (zh) (hóngwěi), 美好 (zh) (měihǎo)

• Czech: slavný (cs)
• Dutch: glorieus (nl), roemrijk (nl)
• Faroese: ærumikil
• Finnish: upea (fi), mahtava (fi), kunniakas
• French: glorieux (fr)

  Old French: glorius

• German: ruhmvoll, glorreich (de), herrlich (de)
• Greek: ένδοξος (el) (éndoxos)

  Ancient: κυδρός (kudrós)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Indonesian: gemilang (id)
• Italian: glorioso (it)
• Japanese: 栄光ある (ja) (eikō aru), 見事な (ja) (migoto na)
• Latin: gloriosus
• Maori: korōria
• Portuguese: glorioso (pt)
• Romanian: glorios (ro)
• Russian: сла́вный (ru) (slávnyj)
• Spanish: glorioso
• Turkish: şanlı (tr)
• Vietnamese: vinh quang (vi)
• West Frisian: glorieus

excellent, wonderful

• Dutch: excellent (nl), schitterend (nl), prachtig (nl)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

splendid; resplendent; bright; shining

• Catalan: gloriós
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 輝煌／辉煌 (zh) (huīhuáng), 辉煌 (zh) (huīhuáng), 發光／发光 (zh) (fāguāng), 发光 (zh) (fāguāng), 閃亮／闪亮 (zh) (shǎnliàng), 闪亮 (zh) (shǎnliàng), 晴好 (zh) (qínghǎo) (of weather)

• Dutch: schitterend (nl), prachtig (nl)
• Finnish: loistava (fi)
• French: glorieux (fr), splendide (fr)
• German: prachtvoll (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Greek: λαμπρός (el) (lamprós)
• Maori: korōria
• Russian: блиста́тельный (ru) (blistátelʹnyj), великоле́пный (ru) (velikolépnyj)
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: kšasny

• Spanish: glorioso

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Italian: ^{(please verify)} glorioso (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 영광스럽은 (yeong-gwangseureopeun)
• Old Occitan: ^{(please verify)} glorios

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Middle English

Alternative forms

• glorius, gloryis, gloryous, gloriose

Etymology

Borrowed from Anglo-Norman glorius, glorios, glorieus, from Latin glōriōsus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡlɔːriuːs/, /ˈɡlɔːrjuːs/, /ˈɡlɔːrius/, /ˈɡlɔːriəs/

Adjective

glorious (comparative gloriousere, superlative gloriosest)

1. Recognised, acclaimed, well-known; having an excellent reputation.
2. Deserving religious recognition or commendation; godly.
3. Marvelous or wonderful to the senses: attractive, pleasing.
4. Amazing, great; bearing good quality or reputation.
5. (rare) Vain, bragging, self-aggrandising.

Related terms

• gloriously

Descendants

• English: glorious

References

• “glōriǒus (adj.)”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-10-04.

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Old French

Alternative forms

• glorieus, glorios, glorius

Etymology

(deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin glōriōsus.

Adjective

glorious m (oblique and nominative feminine singular gloriouse) (Anglo-Norman)

1. glorious
   • 13th century, Unknown, La Vie de Saint Laurent, page 11, column 2, line 2:

     dunc dist Damnedeu glorious

     so, he says [to] glorious God

Declension

Declension of glorious

Number	Case	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Singular	Subject	glorious	gloriouse	glorious
	Oblique	glorious			gloriouse	glorious
Plural	Subject	glorious	gloriouses		glorious
	Oblique	glorious			gloriouses	glorious