Gloriosus

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Characterized by great splendor or magnificence, often associated with grandeur and impressiveness
2. Describing something that is remarkably illustrious or exalted, evoking admiration and reverence
3. Pertaining to a state of being glorious, where beauty and success are prominent and celebrated

Etymology: "Gloriosus" is the Latin adjective meaning "boastful" or "vainglorious," from "gloria" (glory) with the suffix "-osus" (full of). The English word "glorious" comes from the same root, but it has moved in the opposite direction from its Latin ancestor. In Latin, the notion of glory could easily tip into conceit, and the Roman playwright Plautus gave the idea its most famous stage life in "Miles Gloriosus" (The Braggart Soldier), a comedy about a swaggering mercenary whose self-regard is the butt of the joke. Centuries later the English word "glorious" settled on the admiring sense of splendor and magnificence that the definition you supplied describes. The Latin form survives mainly as a phrase: "miles gloriosus" became a standard term for the stock figure of the boastful soldier, and the Plautine character inspired later comic types across European drama.

Synonyms: glorious, magnificent, splendid, majestic

Antonyms: inglorious, shameful, humble