glory

glory — noun

1. Worship, honour, and grateful thanks that people offer to God, especially in pra

1.nounB2
Definition

Worship, honour, and grateful thanks that people offer to God, especially in prayer, song, or religious ceremony.

Example

The congregation sang hymns to give glory to God during the Sunday service.

give glory to God

The worshippers stood together and offered glory and praise for the blessings in their lives.

offered glory and praise

Common collocations
  • give glory to God
  • glory and praise
  • glory to God
  • for the glory of God
Synonyms
  • praise

    wider in use; glory is a more elevated, solemn form of praise reserved for God in religious contexts

  • worship

    includes the whole practice of religious devotion, not just verbal praise

  • thanksgiving

    focuses on gratitude specifically, whereas glory covers honour and awe

Antonyms
  • blasphemy

    speech or action showing disrespect for God

2. A public honour that people feel and express towards someone who has done someth

2.nounB2
Definition

A public honour that people feel and express towards someone who has done something outstanding.

Example

Tunde won the gold medal and brought great glory to his country.

bring glory to [country/team]

The young athlete's moment of glory came when she scored the winning goal.

moment of glory

Common collocations
  • win glory
  • earn glory
  • bring glory to
  • moment of glory
  • share the glory
  • path to glory
  • glory days
  • bask in the glory of
Synonyms
  • fame

    similar meaning but fame emphasises being widely known; glory adds the idea of honour and admiration

  • honour

    focuses on respect from others, often for moral integrity; glory relates more to achievement

  • renown

    more formal and literary than glory; implies lasting fame for great deeds

Antonyms
  • shame

    the feeling of dishonour or embarrassment after failure or wrongdoing

  • disgrace

    strong loss of respect and reputation

Usage Note

Frequently used with verbs like 'win', 'earn', 'bring', or 'share'. Often appears in the fixed phrase 'moment of glory' for a brief period of being celebrated.

Common Mistakes

He made glory by winning the race.
He won glory by winning the race.
'make glory' is not a correct collocation; use 'win', 'earn', or 'gain'.

3. An achievement or accomplishment that makes you feel very proud and that other p

3.nounB2
Definition

An achievement or accomplishment that makes you feel very proud and that other people admire and speak highly of.

Example

Restoring the old library was the head librarian's greatest glory.

greatest glory

The temple's carved stone roof is the crowning glory of the entire building.

crowning glory

Common collocations
  • greatest glory
  • crowning glory
  • finest glory
  • stand as a glory of
Synonyms
  • achievement

    broader and more neutral; glory emphasises the praise that the achievement brings

  • triumph

    suggests overcoming difficulty; glory focuses on the admiration received

  • pride

    a feeling of satisfaction; glory is the thing that causes that feeling

Antonyms
  • failure

    the opposite of a successful achievement

Usage Note

Often used with a possessive (her greatest glory) or of-construction (the glory of something). The fixed phrase 'crowning glory' means the most impressive achievement among several.

Common Mistakes

The gold medal was a glory for the team.
The gold medal was the team's greatest glory.
'glory' as a countable achievement typically needs a determiner like 'a', 'the', or a possessive.

4. Outstanding beauty or impressive visual magnificence, especially in nature, art,

4.nounB2
Definition

Outstanding beauty or impressive visual magnificence, especially in nature, art, or architecture, that fills you with admiration.

Example

The old palace has been carefully repaired and restored to its former glory.

restored to its former glory

Noa and Beatriz climbed the mountain to see the sunrise in all its glory.

in all its glory

Common collocations
  • former glory
  • in all its glory
  • full glory
  • restored to its glory
Synonyms
  • splendour

    nearly identical; splendour emphasises grandness and brightness, glory conveys a sense of awe

  • magnificence

    more formal, focuses on scale and impressiveness

  • beauty

    more general; glory suggests beauty on a grand, almost overwhelming scale

Antonyms

Usage Note

Common in the fixed phrase 'in all its glory' (seen at its most beautiful or impressive). 'Restored to its former glory' is a set expression about buildings or objects regaining their original beauty.

5. A ring of light depicted near holy figures in religious paintings to show their

5.nounC1
Definition

A ring of light depicted near holy figures in religious paintings to show their special status.

Example

In Renaissance paintings, saints are often shown with a golden glory around their heads.

glory = circle of light around head

The artist painted a faint circle of glory above the angel's head.

Common collocations
  • golden glory
  • circle of glory
  • radiant glory
Synonyms
  • halo

    the usual modern word; 'glory' is more technical or literary

  • aureole

    a formal term for a radiant light surrounding the whole body, not just the head

Usage Note

A specialised term used mainly when describing religious art. The more common everyday word for this concept is 'halo'.

glory — exclamation

glory — verb

Word family

  • glorious
    adjectiveB2
  • gloriously
    adverbB2
  • glorify
    verbC1
  • glorification
    nounC1
  • glorifier
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

Glory, fame, renown, prestige, and honour all refer to a positive reputation, but each carries a different shade of meaning. Glory is the strongest: it combines public admiration with the idea of something magnificent — a soldier wins glory on the battlefield, not just fame. Fame simply means being widely known; it can be neutral or even negative. Renown is a more formal and lasting version of fame, reserved for people whose achievements are celebrated over a long period, such as a Nobel prize winner. Prestige comes from social status or the respect associated with an institution, rather than from personal deeds. Honour focuses on moral character and can be carried privately even without public recognition. For example, a doctor may have the prestige of working at a famous hospital, the honour of saving lives, and the glory of discovering a new treatment.

fame ↗renownprestige ↗honour

Common collocations

Nouns

  • path to glory
  • moment of glory
  • glory days
  • former glory

Phrases

  • in all its glory
  • restored to its former glory
  • bask in the glory of
  • share the glory

Prepositions

  • glory of
  • glory in

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'glory' entered Middle English from Old French 'glorie', which in turn came from Latin 'gloria', meaning 'fame, renown, praise, honour'. The Latin root may be connected to the Greek 'kleos', meaning 'fame or renown', especially the fame a hero earns through great deeds. Early uses in English focused on the sense of 'great praise or honour'. By the 14th century, the meaning expanded to include 'magnificent beauty' (the glory of a sunset) and, in religious contexts, the radiant light depicted around holy figures. The verb 'glory in' (rejoice proudly) developed in the 15th century.