GLADDEN Synonyms: 87 Similar and Opposite Words

gladden

verb

ˈgla-dᵊn

Definition of gladden

as in to delight

to give satisfaction to it would gladden me to hear you sing again

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of gladden But there’s something reliably gladdening about sitting down with a warm bowl that promises to nourish. — Karen Yuan, Bon Appétit, 1 Feb. 2025 But there’s something genuinely gladdening to take away from this inquiry into the modern media. — Jason Linkins, The New Republic, 18 Feb. 2023 The word from Washington is sure to gladden the Newsom campaign. — Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2021 Even a dead beaver, with its buck teeth sticking out of its decomposing skull, seemed to gladden Balken. — Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2021 That turnaround is sure to gladden the hearts of Republicans, who have no hope of controlling the White House without Texas. — Todd J. Gillman, Dallas News, 6 Sep. 2020

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gladden

Verb

Tse Yang was the finest Chinese restaurant to open in Madrid, and its crispy Peking Duck has been delighting locals for years.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
The kind of mid-budget delights Cruise specialized are struggling to exist.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of delight

Verb

The continent is thought to have some 4,000 butterfly species, but many face habitat destruction as a result of urbanization and a rapidly warming planet.

— Sophie Neiman, Christian Science Monitor, 5 Oct. 2026
Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency ceded some of its climate authority by repealing rules that limit planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from power plants fueled by coal and natural gas.

— LINDSAY WHITEHURST, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of warm

Verb

Unseasonal weather that curtails feasting on the scrumptious sushi served on the roof terrace from May to October.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
That extra perspiration tends to come from the apocrine glands in the underarms and groin, which produce the thicker, fat- and protein-rich sweat that bacteria feast on.

— Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of feast

Verb

This kind of conversation always leaves me half-amused, half-terrified.

— Alicja Turczyk, The Dial, 29 Sep. 2026
With these four words, Courtney O’Donnell gave zillennials a brain-rot character to call their own, a dash of midsummer Dada to amuse people getting nothing done on their computers.

— Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of amuse

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gladded

gladden

gladdened

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“Gladden.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gladden. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of gladden

verb

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