glib

C1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ɡlɪb/ UK /ɡlɪb/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like glebe /ɪ/ vs /iː/

Meanings

1

adj
speaking or spoken in a smooth, fluent, and insincere way

He gave a glib apology, but didn't seem to mean it.
2

adj
lacking in depth or seriousness of thought

The politician's glib response to the crisis was widely criticized.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · speaking or spoken in a... smooth slicksilver-tonguedfacile unctuous

2 adj · lacking in depth or... superficial shallow facile pat flippant

More suave

Opposites

sincere earnest thoughtful profound

Word family

Forms glibly

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

glib tongue
A smooth, readily persuasive manner of speaking that may lack sincerity or careful thought.

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Glib is ultimately Germanic and is related to Dutch glibberig, “slippery,” and German glibberig, “slimy.” One of its earliest late 16th-century senses was “smooth or unimpeded”; the physical idea of slipperiness later developed into the modern description of speech that is fluent but shallow or insincere.

Etymology

From Old English ('smooth, slippery'), related to Old Norse glibber and Middle English glibber ('to make smooth, to flatter'); giving Modern English glib ('having a smooth, fluent, and insincere quality, especially in speech').

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# glib

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ɡlɪb/
**IPA (UK):** /ɡlɪb/

## Meanings
1. speaking or spoken in a smooth, fluent, and insincere way
2. lacking in depth or seriousness of thought

## Examples
- He gave a glib apology, but didn't seem to mean it.
- The politician's glib response to the crisis was widely criticized.

## Synonyms
- smooth
- slick
- silver-tongued
- facile
- unctuous
- superficial
- shallow
- pat
- flippant
- suave

## Antonyms
- sincere
- earnest
- thoughtful
- profound

## Etymology
From Old English ('smooth, slippery'), related to Old Norse glibber and Middle English glibber ('to make smooth, to flatter'); giving Modern English glib ('having a smooth, fluent, and insincere quality, especially in speech').

## AI Etymology
Glib comes from Old English ('smooth, slippery'), related to Old Norse glibber and Middle English glibber ('to make smooth, to flatter'); giving Modern English glib ('having a smooth, fluent, and insincere quality, especially in speech'). In current use it is an adjective meaning "speaking or spoken in a smooth, fluent, and insincere way". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The history is mainly one of transmission into English, with the older form and sense carried through borrowing or adaptation. For dictionary purposes, the important point is the continuity between the older form, the route into English, and the present lexical sense.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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