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gloat

Etymology and origin of the English word gloat

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɡləʊt/ (UK); /ɡloʊt/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is perhaps of Scandinavian origin;[2][3][4] compare Old Norse glotta (“to grin scornfully”) and Swedish dialect glutta “to peep”.[3][4][5] Etymonline takes it as a variant of earlier glout “to stare, scowl” (mid-15th century),[4][6] and compares German glotzen “to stare”.[4][5] It belongs with glower and other Germanic gl- words for looking.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

To look with a furtive or sidelong glance (1575).[3][4][7]

Semantic evolution

From 1676 the verb meant to cast amorous or admiring glances,[7][6] and from 1748 to gaze or dwell with intense, usually malicious or greedy, satisfaction.[3][4][7] The OED notes that the last sense is now almost the only one.[7] The noun meant a side-glance in 1645,[7][4] and an act of gloating from 1899.[7][4][6]

Timeline

  • 1575 – to look askance or furtively.[3][7]
  • 1645 – noun, a side-glance.[7]
  • 1676 – to cast admiring glances.[7]
  • 1748 – to dwell on with malicious pleasure.[3][4][7]
  • 1899 – noun, an act of gloating.[7][6]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To feel or show great, often malicious, pleasure or smug satisfaction, as over another's misfortune.
  2. (obsolete) To look or glance admiringly or amorously.

Noun

  1. The act or feeling of gloating.

Word family

  • gloater
  • gloatingly
  • glower
  • glare
  • gloom

Usage notes

Random House refers gloat to its synonym discussion at glare.[5]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Gloat.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/gloat. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·