glacial
Slow as ice
Glacial describes anything relating to glaciers or ice sheets, but its extended meanings all derive from qualities we associate with ice: extreme cold, slow movement, and emotional coldness.
A glacial pace is agonizingly slow, like the imperceptible creep of a glacier.
A glacial stare or glacial reception conveys icy unfriendliness.
In geology, glacial periods are ice ages when glaciers covered much of the earth's surface.
Extremely and intensely cold
- icyFrozen or unfriendly
- freezingExtremely cold
- arcticOf extreme northern cold
- frostyCold or unwelcoming
bitter · numbing · frozen · chilly · wintry · gelid · piercing · biting
Frozen or unfriendly
- coldLow temperature state
- frostyCold or unwelcoming
- aloofEmotionally withdrawn, uninviting
- detachedApart or uninvolved
impassive · stony · steely · chilly · frigid · distant · remote · reserved
Glacier-deposited debris pile
- drumlinStreamlined glacial hill
- eskerSerpentine glacial gravel deposit
- tillRegister drawer for money
- outwashGlacier meltwater sediment
erratic · cirque · fjord · ice age · stratigraphy · sediment · paleoclimate · isostasy
Deep glacial fissure
- icebergFloating glacial fragment
- icecapPermanent polar covering
- icefieldExtensive glacial coverage
- seracGlacial ice pinnacle
firn · calving · icefall · ice shelf · ice floe · rime · ice core · ablation
Slow and inactive
- ploddingMoving slowly, heavily
- creepingMoving slowly, stealthily
- crawlingMoving on hands, knees
- gradualDeveloping slowly over time
unhurried · ponderous · lumbering · imperceptible · grinding · incremental · measured · snail-paced
Pale bluish-white shade
- pale blueLight, desaturated azure
- aquamarineBlue-green beryl gemstone
- opalescentShowing milky iridescence
- translucentPermitting diffused light passage
crystalline · glassy · silvery · milky · azure
frigid
Extremely and intensely cold
frosty · bitter · numbing · frozen · chilly · wintry · gelid · piercing · biting · raw
icy
Frozen or unfriendly
detached · impassive · stony · steely · chilly · frigid · distant · remote · reserved · unfeeling
moraine
Glacier-deposited debris pile
outwash · erratic · cirque · fjord · ice age · stratigraphy · sediment · paleoclimate · isostasy · loess
crevasse
Deep glacial fissure
serac · firn · calving · icefall · ice shelf · ice floe · rime · ice core · ablation · accumulation zone
sluggish
Slow and inactive
gradual · unhurried · ponderous · lumbering · imperceptible · grinding · incremental · measured · snail-paced · dawdling
ice blue
Pale bluish-white shade
- pale blueLight, desaturated azure
- aquamarineBlue-green beryl gemstone
- opalescentShowing milky iridescence
translucent · crystalline · glassy · silvery · milky · azure
- temperaturehot, cold, warm, cool, freezing
- temperaturacaliente, tibia, maxima, minima, corporal
- Coldfrigid, frozen, icy, freezing, chilly
- Cold Expressionsfreezing cold, bitter cold, bone-chilling, cold snap, cold spell
- Cold Sensationschill, chills, shiver, shivers, shivering
- cold-heartedcallous, cold, cold-blooded, cold-hearted, cruel
- glacial lakesMeltwater-filled eroded basins
- melting glaciersIce fields shrinking from warmth
- glacial riversWaterways sourced from ice
- glacial meltFrozen mass becoming water
- glacier meltFrozen river becoming water
- glacial meltingWarming-induced ice loss
glacier, glacial erratic, glaciers, glaciation, glaciate, glacially, glaciology, glaciated, glaciologist