Word of the Day: Glare

glare

glare / glâr

adjective

1. smooth and slick, resembling glass

Freezing rain coated Twin Cities roads with glare ice Saturday morning causing multiple accidents and stalling city transportation.

Deanna Weniger, “Officials warn drivers to stay home Saturday morning as glare ice snarls traffic”, ‘Pioneer Press’, www.twincities.com/2019/12/27/winter-storm-promises-a-wet-weekend-in-the-twin-cities-but-a-dry-new-years-day-ahead, December 27, 2019

noun

1. an intensely bright and blinding light

There are two kinds of light – the glow that illuminates, and the glare that obscures.

James Thurber, 1894-1961

2. an angry or hostile stare

Horser raised his voice, and the glare in his eyes was like the glare of a wild beast.

From “The Yellow Crayon” by E. Phillips Oppenheim, 1866 – 1946

3. an overly bright or dazzling appearance

There is a glare about worldly success which is very apt to dazzle men’s eyes.

Augustus William Hare, 1792 – 1834

4. intrusive or overpowering attention

Government works best under the glare of public scrutiny.

Stephen Hawking, 1942 – 2018

5. a bright, slick surface, as of ice

Davis, just after cresting the hill and now on the downhill grade of the road, lost control of the bus on a slick, glare of ice surface.

Ken Allsup, “Eddyville-Blakesburg bus has difficulty with Monday morning’s slick roads”, ‘Oskaloosa News’, www.oskynews.org/eddyville-blakesburg-bus-has-difficulty-with-monday-mornings-slick-roads, February 28, 2011

verb

1. to stare in an intense, disapproving, hostile or angry manner

She glared at me like she was about to punch me, but then she did something that surprised me even more.

Rick Riordan, 1964 –

2. to shine in a blinding, intensely bright manner

The court of Cacus stands reveal’d to sight;

The cavern glares with new admitted light.

From “Aeneid” by Virgil, 70 BC – 19 BC

3. to stand out in a conspicuous or obtrusive manner

I cringed as each error glared back at me from the page.

“Those Tiny Mistakes Can Hurt”, www.pryor.com/blog/those-tiny-mistakes-can-hurt, accessed February 9, 2023