ENGLISH
REFERENCE

glamour

n. · v.
US //ˈɡɫæmɝ// UK //ɡlˈæmɐ// glam·our
  1. 1 attractive quality (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    the attractive and exciting quality that makes someone or something seem special or famous.

    an alluring or exciting quality that makes a person, place, or activity seem more attractive than ordinary life.

    Example

    She was attracted to the glamour of working in the film industry.

    Example

    The documentary strips away the glamour of professional sports to reveal the physical toll and isolation experienced by many elite athletes.
    • drabness
    • dullness
  2. 2 beauty and style (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a very attractive and stylish appearance, often involving expensive clothes and makeup.

    a sophisticated and alluring physical appearance, typically achieved through fashion, cosmetics, and grooming.

    Example

    The red carpet was full of Hollywood glamour and expensive jewellery.

    Example

    The fashion photographer was renowned for his ability to capture old-school glamour using only natural light and minimal retouching.
    • plainness
  3. 3 magic spell (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Literary Archaic

    a magic spell that makes things look different or better than they really are.

    a magic spell or enchantment that influences the sight, making objects appear more beautiful or different than their true form.

    Example

    In the old story, the witch cast a glamour over the forest to hide her hut.

    Example

    The knight realised that the castle's beauty was merely a glamour designed to lure weary travellers into the sorcerer's trap.

    Usage

    Often used with the verbs 'cast' or 'weave'.
  4. 4 to enchant (v.)
    C2 Proficiency Literary

    to use magic to make someone see something that is not real.

    to affect by magic or enchantment; to fascinate or bewitch.

    Example

    The faerie tried to glamour the prince so he would follow her into the woods.

    Example

    The ancient creature possessed the power to glamour its prey, rendering them unable to perceive the danger until it was too late.
Origin

Borrowed from Scots glamour (“magic”), alteration of Middle English gramere (“grammar”), from Old French gramaire. Doublet of glamoury, gramarye, grammar, and grimoire. A connection has also been suggested with Old Norse glámr (“the moon", also "the name of a ghost”, poetic byname, literally “the pale one”) and glámsýni (“glamour, illusion”, literally “glam-sight”). From Grettir's Saga aka Grettis Saga, one of the Sagas of Icelanders, after the hero has been cursed by Glam, aka Glamr: "...he was become so fearsome a man in the dark, that he durst go nowhither alone after nightfall, for then he seemed to see all kinds of horrors. And that has fallen since into a proverb, that "Glam lends eyes", or gives Glamsight to those who see things nowise as they are."

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family

Last updated June 20, 2026