glamorous
Americanadjective
-
full of glamour; charmingly or fascinatingly attractive, especially in a mysterious or magical way.
- Synonyms:
- bewitching, alluring, fascinating, beguiling
-
full of excitement, adventure, and unusual activity.
the glamorous job of a foreign correspondent.
adjective
-
possessing glamour; alluring and fascinating
a glamorous career
-
beautiful and smart, esp in a showy way
a glamorous woman
Other Word Forms
- glamorously adverb
- glamorousness noun
- glamourously adverb
- glamourousness noun
- ultraglamorous adjective
- unglamorous adjective
- unglamorously adverb
- unglamorousness noun
- unglamourous adjective
- unglamourously adverb
- unglamourousness noun
Etymology
Origin of glamorous
First recorded in 1935–40; glamor ( def. ) + -ous
Explanation
Movie stars look glamorous when they walk down the red carpet in their designer gowns. Glamorous means full of glamour, beauty, and excitement. Glamorous comes from the Scottish gramarye meaning "magic, enchantment, spell." See a glamorous woman walking down the street and you might be captivated or enchanted by her beauty. A person can appear or act glamorous. An event like a really over-the-top party can be glamorous. Or a lifestyle that one chooses for herself can be glamorous, full of parties and swanky events.
Vocabulary lists containing glamorous
More Positive Words to Describe a Person
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Ghost
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
List 2
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Fencing is about to become a lot more glamorous.
From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026
It’s not glamorous, high-tech stuff: Think meatpacking, canned goods, packaged foods and so on.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026
"He has always scored good goals but the less glamorous ones that are equally important, he has added them to his game."
From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026
Before he made an NBA rookie-record 268 3-pointers, the now-6-foot-6 Knueppel joined a slightly less glamorous outfit known as the Closed Gym League.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
Yet the remaining children, Cadence, Liberty, Bonnie, Taft, and Will, they know that tragedy is not glamorous.
From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart
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.
