Word
glamour
Phoneticsglam·our
US/ˈɡɫæmɝ/
UK/ɡlˈæmɐ/
US spelling · glamor
Definitions
01attractive quality
n. the attractive and exciting quality that makes someone or something seem special or famous.
n. an alluring or exciting quality that makes a person, place, or activity seem more attractive than ordinary life.
“She was attracted to the glamour of working in the film industry.”
“The documentary strips away the glamour of professional sports to reveal the physical toll and isolation experienced by many elite athletes.”
Antonyms
02beauty and style
n. a very attractive and stylish appearance, often involving expensive clothes and makeup.
n. a sophisticated and alluring physical appearance, typically achieved through fashion, cosmetics, and grooming.
“The red carpet was full of Hollywood glamour and expensive jewellery.”
“The fashion photographer was renowned for his ability to capture old-school glamour using only natural light and minimal retouching.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
03magic spell
n. a magic spell that makes things look different or better than they really are.
n. a magic spell or enchantment that influences the sight, making objects appear more beautiful or different than their true form.
“In the old story, the witch cast a glamour over the forest to hide her hut.”
“The knight realised that the castle's beauty was merely a glamour designed to lure weary travellers into the sorcerer's trap.”
Literary · Archaic
Usage
Often used with the verbs 'cast' or 'weave'.
Synonyms
04to enchant
v. to use magic to make someone see something that is not real.
v. to affect by magic or enchantment; to fascinate or bewitch.
“The faerie tried to glamour the prince so he would follow her into the woods.”
“The ancient creature possessed the power to glamour its prey, rendering them unable to perceive the danger until it was too late.”
Literary
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“He wrote it at 24, so even as a young man he had that sense of something behind all the fame and glamour.” “Who says showbiz is all glitz, glamour and glitterballs?” Etymology
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.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/glamour