Meaning
Joy; happiness; great delight, especially from one's own good fortune or from another's misfortune.
Etymology
Origin: Old English
From Middle English gle, from Old English glēo, glīġ, glēow, glīw (“glee, pleasure, mirth, play, sport; music; mockery”), from Proto-West Germanic *glīw, from Proto-Germanic *glīwą (“joy, mirth”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰlew- (“to joke, make fun, enjoy”). Cognate with Scots gle, glie, glew (“game, play, sport, mirth, joy, rejoicing, entertainment, melody, music”), Icelandic glý (“joy, glee, gladness”), Ancient Greek χλεύη (khleúē, “joke, jest, scorn”). A poetic word in Middle English, the word was obsolete by 1500, but revived late 18c.
Synonyms & Antonyms
NYT Puzzle Appearances
Accepted in 23 recorded puzzles:
- 2026-06-11EGLMOTY
- 2026-05-02GBNEDLO
- 2026-04-11LDIGEHT
- 2026-04-07GDNFELU
- 2025-12-20GNAMEDL
- 2025-12-10GYATIEL
- 2025-11-25EAONLGH
- 2025-09-19EGPIOLH
- 2025-08-03EAOLGNY
- 2025-04-16GATLENY
- 2025-03-04EGPLHMY
- 2024-11-21EAGILNZ
+11 earlier appearances in the archive.