glib
Americanadjective
-
readily fluent, often thoughtlessly, superficially, or insincerely so.
a glib talker; glib answers.
- Synonyms:
- smooth, facile, loquacious, talkative
-
easy or unconstrained, as actions or manners.
-
Archaic. agile; spry.
adjective
-
fluent and easy, often in an insincere or deceptive way
Related Words
See fluent.
Other Word Forms
- glibly adverb
- glibness noun
- unglib adjective
Etymology
Origin of glib
First recorded in 1585–95; compare obsolete glibbery “slippery” (cognate with Dutch glibberig )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
So for his children not to show up in any way, and to be glib about his experience, is, well, a choice.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 22, 2026
When his “political enemy,” the glib and popular Alcibiades, sways the assembly, Nicias replies that this means sending both a fleet and “large numbers of land forces.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025
“Southern Man”? It’s probably a little glib to declare it a song about reparations, but it’s also not an incorrect observation.
From Salon • Aug. 19, 2025
I am not trying to be glib myself.
From Slate • May 13, 2025
But he was also disgusted with himself for being so shallow and glib.
From "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.