gladden
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
Related Words
See cheer.
Other Word Forms
- gladdener noun
- ungladden verb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of gladden
Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at glad 1, -en 1
Explanation
To gladden is to make someone happy by delighting them or cheering them up. It will gladden your heart to finally find your lost dog. The verb gladden means "to make glad," from the Old English glæd, "bright, shining, gleaming" and also "joyous." So when something gladdens you, like running into your beloved kindergarten teacher, it brightens your whole day. Before the early 14th century, people used the word glad as a verb instead, as in: "It glads my ears to hear such beautiful music."
Vocabulary lists containing gladden
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It will gladden your hearts to know that the man in front of her was also stopped and ticketed.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 8, 2022
Sentiments to gladden the hearts of Ukrainian diplomats and days after President Zelenksy's appeal, dozens of hopeful volunteers headed to the Ukrainian embassy in Abuja, with ambitions of enlisting.
From BBC • Mar. 15, 2022
Rather than being a distressing duty, exclusion seems to gladden his dreary day.
From Washington Post • Jul. 30, 2020
Something to gladden, and sadden, the heart in equal measure.
From New York Times • Dec. 1, 2017
The second task would lay perfume on the air and gladden noses near and far.
From "The Midwife's Apprentice" by Karen Cushman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
