Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A gladiolus.
  • adjective Experiencing or exhibiting joy and pleasure.
  • adjective Appreciative.
  • adjective Providing joy and pleasure.
  • adjective Very willing; pleased.
  • transitive & intransitive verb To gladden.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To make glad; gladden.
  • To be glad; rejoice.
  • noun Gladness.
  • Smooth; level; open. Compare glade.
  • Acting smoothly or freely; moving easily: as, a glad door or bolt.
  • In good condition; thriving.
  • Shining; bright; cheerful; wearing the appearance of joy: as, a glad countenance.
  • Feeling joy, pleasure, or satisfaction, especially with reference to some particular event; pleased; gratified; well contented; joyful: rarely used attributively in this sense, but usually in the predicate, where it is used absolutely or followed by of or at, or by an infinitive with to: as, to be glad of an opportunity to oblige a friend.
  • Causing joy or pleasure; giving satisfaction; pleasing.
  • Synonyms Joyous, delighted, animated, exhilarated.
  • Gladsome, cheering, exhilarating, animating. See gladness.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Pleased; joyous; happy; cheerful; gratified; -- opposed to sorry, sorrowful, or unhappy; -- said of persons, and often followed by of, at, that, or by the infinitive, and sometimes by with, introducing the cause or reason.
  • adjective [Colloq.] glad of it.
  • adjective Wearing a gay or bright appearance; expressing or exciting joy; producing gladness; exhilarating.
  • intransitive verb obsolete To be glad; to rejoice.
  • transitive verb To make glad; to cheer; to gladden; to exhilarate.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective pleased, happy, satisfied
  • verb transitive To make glad; to cheer; to gladden; to exhilarate.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
  • adjective eagerly disposed to act or to be of service
  • adjective feeling happy appreciation
  • noun any of numerous plants of the genus Gladiolus native chiefly to tropical and South Africa having sword-shaped leaves and one-sided spikes of brightly colored funnel-shaped flowers; widely cultivated
  • adjective cheerful and bright

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old English glæd; see ghel- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old English glæd

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Examples

  • "I'm glad -- _glad_ you couldn't, dear," she whispered.

    The Hermit of Far End Margaret Pedler

  • "I'm glad -- glad -- _glad_ you're going away!" she exclaimed passionately.

    The Lamp of Fate Margaret Pedler

  • Usually her repentance came quickly after one rash deed, but now Tom and Lucy had made her so miserable, she was glad to spoil their happiness, —glad to make everybody uncomfortable.

    X. Maggie Behaves Worse Than She Expected. Book I—Boy and Girl 1917

  • "Oh," said she, under her breath, "I'm glad -- so _glad! _"

    Queed Henry Sydnor Harrison 1905

  • She remembered with naughty satisfaction how rain invariably straightened Jennie Perkins's frizzes, and was glad, _glad_ that it did.

    Ladies-In-Waiting Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin 1889

  • She felt glad, actually _glad_ that Cornelia was coming!

    Flaming June George de Horne Vaizey 1887

  • She 'lows she's glad she kem -- _so glad_ she hev lef Abs'lom fur good an' all -- an 'then she busts out a-cryin' agin.

    His "Day In Court" 1895 Mary Noailles Murfree 1886

  • Oh, Teddy, "cries Molly Bawn, suddenly, and without a word of warning, bursting into a passion of tears, and flinging herself into his willing arms," are you not glad -- _glad_ -- that we belong to each other again? "

    Molly Bawn Margaret Wolfe Hamilton

  • I'm so glad, glad, _glad_ to come back to the dear hopes, after I thought I'd lost them! "

    Miss Pat at Artemis Lodge Pemberton Ginther

  • JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what they call glad handing.

    CNN Transcript Jul 18, 2008 2008

Comments

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  • (spoken of doors, bolts &c., that go smoothly or easily) This bolt is glad, or moves gladly. - an old provincial usage from the north of England.

    May 2, 2011