glib

[ glib ]

adjective

, glib·ber, glib·best.

1. readily fluent, often thoughtlessly, superficially, or insincerely so:

   a glib talker; glib answers.

   Synonyms: smooth, facile, loquacious, talkative

2. easy or unconstrained, as actions or manners.
3. Archaic. agile; spry.

glib

/ ɡlɪb /

adjective

1. fluent and easy, often in an insincere or deceptive way

Derived Forms

• ˈglibly, adverb
• ˈglibness, noun

Other Words From

• glib·ly adverb
• glib·ness noun
• un·glib adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of glib¹

First recorded in 1585–95; compare obsolete glibbery “slippery” (cognate with Dutch glibberig )

Word History and Origins

Origin of glib¹

C16: probably from Middle Low German glibberich slippery

Synonym Study

See fluent.

Example Sentences

His glib lies and rationalizations don't confuse most people on this front.

From Salon

How did they look, how did they sound, did they come off as authentic and real or were they phony and glib?

From Salon

Arrested for theft on his 17th birthday, he told police “one glib lie after another” and developed “a fool-proof technique: tell near-truths, half-truths, but never the whole truth.”

From Los Angeles Times

To say of the settlers — all of them — that “violence had become part of their DNA” is to approach a glib argument about heritable evil.

From New York Times

“At that age, I was still very concerned with how I was perceived — I wanted to be taken seriously as an artist — and that song seemed very glib to me,” she says.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• artful
• articulate
• eloquent
• facile
• loquacious
• talkative