Meanings
glee1
plural glees
- uncountableJoy; happiness; great delight, especially from one's own good fortune or from another's misfortune.
I watched with glee while your kings and queens fought for ten decades for the gods they made.
1968, “Sympathy for the Devil”, in The Rolling Stones (music), Beggars Banquet1 more example
Even without hovering drones, a lurking assassin, a thumping score and a denouement, the real-life story of Edward Snowden, a rogue spy on the run, could be straight out of the cinema. But, as with Hollywood, the subplots and exotic locations may distract from the real message: America’s discomfort and its foes’ glee.
2013 June 29, “Travels and travails”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 55Synonyms: merriment, mirth, gaiety, gloat, blitheness, blithesomeness, cheerfulness, cheeriness
- uncountableMusic; minstrelsy; entertainment.
- countablesingingAn unaccompanied part song for three or more solo voices, not necessarily merry.
Sometimes they had glees, when Captain Strong’s chest was of vast service, and he boomed out in a prodigious bass, of which he was not a little proud.
1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 23, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC
glee2
Synonyms & antonyms
nounJoy; happiness; great delight, especially from one's own good fortune or from another's misfortune.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
glee · noun
- Proto-Indo-European*gʰlew-“to joke, make fun, enjoy”
- Proto-Germanic*glīwą“joy, mirth”
- Proto-West Germanic*glīw
- Old Englishglēo
- Middle Englishgle
- Englishglee
From Middle English gle, from Old English glēo, glīġ, glēow, glīw (“glee, pleasure, mirth, play, sport; music; mockery”), from Proto-West Germanic *glīw, from Proto-Germanic *glīwą (“joy, mirth”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰlew- (“to joke, make fun, enjoy”). Cognate with Scots gle, glie, glew (“game, play, sport, mirth, joy, rejoicing, entertainment, melody, music”), Icelandic glý (“joy, glee, gladness”), Ancient Greek χλεύη (khleúē, “joke, jest, scorn”). A poetic word in Middle English, the word was obsolete by 1500, but revived late 18c.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →glee · verb
- Proto-Germanic*glīwōną
- Proto-West Germanic*glīwōn
- Old Englishglēowian“to sing, play an instrument, jest”
- Middle Englishgleen
- Englishglee
From Middle English gleen, glewen, from Old English glēowian (“to sing, play an instrument, jest”), from Proto-West Germanic *glīwōn, from Proto-Germanic *glīwōną. Cognate with Icelandic glýja (“to be gleeful”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic بَهْجَة
- بَهْجَة (bahja)Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
Bulgarian радост, веселие
- радост (radost)Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
- веселие (veselie)Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
- ликуване (likuvane)Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
Catalan alegria, joia
- alegriaJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
- joiaJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
Czech radost, veselí
- radostJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
- veselíJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
- veselostJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
Danish glæde, fryd
- glædeJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
- frydJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
- jubelJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
Dutch vrolijkheid
- vrolijkheidJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
Esperanto ĝojo
- ĝojoJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
Finnish ilo, riemu
- iloJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
- riemuJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
French joie
- joieJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
German Freude, Fröhlichkeit
- FreudeJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
- FröhlichkeitJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
- AusgelassenheitJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
- RundgesangMusic; minstrelsy; entertainment
- RundgesangAn unaccompanied part song for three or more solo voices
Greek ευωχία
- ευωχία (evochía)Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
Italian gioia, allegria
- gioiaJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
- allegriaJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
Norwegian glede
- gledeJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
Persian شادی
- شادیJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
Polish radość, zadowolenie
- radośćJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
- zadowolenieJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
Portuguese alegria, música
- alegriaJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
- músicaMusic; minstrelsy; entertainment
- cançãoMusic; minstrelsy; entertainment
Russian ликова́ние, весе́лье
- ликова́ние (likovánije)Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
- весе́лье (vesélʹje)Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
- ра́дость (rádostʹ)Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
- му́зыка (múzyka)Music; minstrelsy; entertainment
- развлече́ния (razvlečénija)Music; minstrelsy; entertainment
- пе́сня (pésnja)An unaccompanied part song for three or more solo voices
- песнопе́ние (pesnopénije)An unaccompanied part song for three or more solo voices
Spanish alegría
- alegríaJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
Swedish glädje, fröjd
- glädjeJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
- fröjdJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
- munterhetJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
Tagalog saya, ligaya
- sayaJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
- ligayaJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
- galakJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
- tuwaJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
Thai ความยินดี, ความสะใจ
- ความยินดี (kwaam-yin-dii)Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
- ความสะใจJoy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
Ukrainian радість, веселощі
- радість (radistʹ)Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
- веселощі (veselošči)Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with glee
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
glee. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/glee
“glee.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/glee. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “glee,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/glee.
Source: glee on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.