Meaning & use
glib
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Meanings
adjectivecomparabledisapproving
Speaking or answering smoothly and quickly in a way that sounds shallow or not entirely honest.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a verb: a glib salesman; he sounded glib.
Patterns
- glib about something
The candidate gave a glib answer that avoided the real problem.
I did not trust his glib promises to fix everything by Monday.
She was glib about the risks, which worried the investors.
adjectivecomparabledisapproving
Describing a remark or explanation that is too simple and neat to take the real difficulty of a matter seriously.
Grammar: Often describes things said, not people: a glib slogan.
It is glib to say that poverty is just a matter of laziness.
The film offers a glib solution to a complicated family conflict.
Her glib summary left out all the hard parts.
Word forms
| comparative | glibber |
|---|---|
| superlative | glibbest |
Common combinations
- glib answer
- He offered a glib answer instead of thinking about the question.
- glib remark
- A glib remark about the disaster upset the audience.
- glib talker
- The glib talker at the door persuaded half the street to sign.
- glib excuse
- Her glib excuse about traffic fooled nobody.
- too glib
- The explanation felt too glib to be believed.
Synonyms and how they differ
- smooth
- Smooth can be praise for polished manner, whereas glib always suggests the ease is hiding a lack of depth.
- slick
- Slick stresses a polished, manipulative performance, while glib focuses on easy words with little thought behind them.
- facile
- Facile is more formal and refers to arguments that are too simple, while glib is about speech that flows too easily.
- fluent
- Fluent is neutral or positive praise for skilled speech, whereas glib is a criticism.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: glib or gleeful?
glib vs gleeful
Gleeful means full of joy and has nothing to do with insincerity. Glib is about speech that is too easy.
Practice
The minister's ___ reply to the question about job losses made reporters even more doubtful.
Choose one answer.
Glib fits because a quick, shallow reply would increase doubt. Heartfelt and thorough would build trust, and hesitant describes a slow reply, not a smooth one.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “glib”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.