glen

glen — noun

1. a long, narrow valley that lies between hills or mountains, often with steep, gr

1.nounB2
Definition

a long, narrow valley that lies between hills or mountains, often with steep, grassy sides and a stream running through it

Example

Aiko and her father walked through the glen, following a small stream between the hills.

collocation: walk through a glen / follow a stream

The old glen near Priya's village was thick with oak trees and full of birds.

collocation: wooded glen / thick with trees

Common collocations
  • wooded glen
  • mountain glen
  • remote glen
  • hidden glen
  • through the glen
  • in the glen
  • walk through a glen
  • at the head of the glen
Synonyms
  • valley

    broader term for any low area between hills or mountains; 'glen' is narrower and more scenic

  • dale

    chiefly British and literary; refers to a broad valley, often with a river

  • gorge

    a very steep, narrow valley with rocky sides, usually formed by a river cutting through stone

  • ravine

    a deep, narrow valley with steep sides, smaller and more dramatic than a glen

Antonyms
  • ridge

    the long, narrow top of a hill or mountain, opposite of the low ground of a glen

  • peak

    the pointed top of a mountain, contrasting with the valley floor of a glen

Usage Note

Commonly used in Scottish and Irish place names (e.g., Glencoe, Glendalough, Glenshee). In descriptive writing, 'glen' carries a slightly literary or romantic tone, suggesting a wild, scenic, and secluded valley — unlike the more neutral 'valley' or the steeper 'gorge'.

Common Mistakes

We hiked through a narrow glen in the desert.
We hiked through a narrow canyon in the desert.
'glen' describes a valley in a mountainous or hilly region, usually with vegetation and water, not an arid desert landform.

Word family

  • glens
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe low ground between higher land, but they differ in shape, setting, and tone. 'Valley' is the broadest and most neutral term: any elongated low area between hills or mountains, regardless of steepness or vegetation. 'Glen' is narrower and more specific — it suggests a secluded, often wooded valley in a mountainous region, with a stream running through it, and carries a literary or romantic tone strongly associated with Scotland and Ireland. 'Dale' overlaps with 'valley' but is chiefly British and literary (e.g., Yorkshire Dales); it feels older and more pastoral. 'Gorge' and 'ravine' imply steep, rocky sides formed by erosion — a gorge is wider and often dramatic (a river gorge), while a ravine is smaller and more creek-like. A glen is gentler and greener than either, with grassy rather than rocky slopes. For a peaceful walk between green hills, 'glen' or 'dale' fits best; for a rocky cut through stone, use 'gorge'.

valley ↗dale ↗gorge ↗ravine

Common collocations

Nouns

  • glen walk
  • glen path
  • glen side
  • glen floor

Phrases

  • wooded glen
  • mountain glen
  • hidden glen
  • remote glen
  • the mouth of the glen
  • the head of the glen

Prepositions

  • through a glen
  • in a glen
  • at the head of a glen
  • across the glen
  • into the glen

Etymology

Old IrishScottish GaelicEnglish

Borrowed from Scottish Gaelic 'gleann' (valley), which came from Old Irish 'glend' or 'glenn'. The word entered English through the Scottish landscape and has been used since medieval times, often appearing in the names of specific valleys across Scotland and Ireland. The closely related Welsh word 'glyn' (a deep valley) comes from the same ancient Celtic root.