glamorous

glamorous — adjective

1. having a quality of special beauty or excitement that makes someone or something

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

having a quality of special beauty or excitement that makes someone or something seem very desirable, often connected with fame, fashion, or wealth

Example

Rashida wore a glamorous gold dress to the awards ceremony.

collocation: glamorous dress / glamorous gown

The hotel's glamorous lobby had crystal chandeliers and marble floors.

Common collocations
  • a glamorous dress
  • a glamorous life
  • a glamorous lifestyle
  • a glamorous job
  • a glamorous career
  • a glamorous party
  • a glamorous event
  • look glamorous
  • feel glamorous
Synonyms
  • glitzy

    more informal, implies flashy showiness, often for events or places

  • stylish

    focuses on fashion and elegance rather than excitement or fame

  • alluring

    suggests a tempting or seductive quality rather than social status or fame

Antonyms
  • plain

    ordinary, without special decoration or beauty

  • dull

    lacking excitement or interest

Usage Note

Often describes places, events, people, or careers in the world of entertainment, fashion, or wealth. Can appear before a noun (a glamorous party) or after a linking verb (she looks glamorous).

Common Mistakes

She wore a glamour dress.
She wore a glamorous dress.
glamour is a noun; glamorous is the adjective form.

Word family

  • glamour
    nounB1
  • glamorize
    verbB2
  • glamorization
    nounC1
  • unglamorous
    adjectiveC1
  • glam
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Glamorous suggests an exciting, special attractiveness often linked to fame, fashion, or wealth — think of a movie star at a red-carpet event. Glitzy (informal) implies a more showy, flashy kind of glamour, often in entertainment contexts. Stylish focuses on fashionable elegance and good taste rather than excitement. Alluring emphasizes a tempting, almost magnetic quality. A celebrity might have a glamorous lifestyle, wear a glitzy dress, look stylish in casual clothes, and give an alluring smile.

glitzy ↗stylish ↗alluring

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • surprisingly glamorous
  • not particularly glamorous
  • truly glamorous

Phrases

  • the glamorous world of...
  • glamorous and exciting

Prepositions

  • far from glamorous

Etymology

GreekLatinOld FrenchScotsEnglish

Glamorous comes from glamour, a Scottish variant of grammar. In medieval times, grammar was linked to learning and scholarship, but in Scotland it came to mean magic or enchantment, because scholars were thought to possess secret or occult knowledge. Over time, glamour shifted from 'magical spell' to 'magical beauty', and by the 1800s it described an exciting, special kind of attractiveness. The adjective glamorous formed in the 19th century.