GLADDENING Synonyms: 137 Similar and Opposite Words

gladdening 1 of 2

adjective

as in comforting

making one feel good inside the overdue change to warm, sunny weather is gladdening

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

gladdening

2 of 2

verb

present participle of gladden

as in pleasing

to give satisfaction to it would gladden me to hear you sing again

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gladdening

Adjective

And there’s something very comforting about going back to those things of our youth that were simpler than things are now — in our personal lives or the world at large.

— Mike Ryan, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2026
Those were the comforting words Vision privately offered Wanda in Age of Ultron after her brother Pietro died.

— Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of comforting

Verb

For his fourth feature, Post Tenebras Lux, Reygadas took a major detour toward the avant-garde and the personal, in a move that garnered him some detractors while pleasing his more hardcore fans.

— Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 28 Sep. 2026
But a taste for a cheap, crowd-pleasing meal may be something the two leaders share.

— Dee-Ann Durbin, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of pleasing

Adjective

Niccol personally assured us that Starbucks isn’t pursuing a Chipotle acquisition, and that the encouraging trends from its latest quarter are continuing.

— Alexa LoMonaco,Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026
For Hoffman, the evening’s results were encouraging but not necessarily conclusive, and the extensive use of guarantees should be taken with a grain of salt.

— Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of encouraging

Verb

Tse Yang was the finest Chinese restaurant to open in Madrid, and its crispy Peking Duck has been delighting locals for years.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
Here, misfits are welcome, and bric-a-brac is part of the appeal; the wonderfully bizarre name and devil-may-care attitude have been confusing (and delighting) first-timers for more than 70 years.

— Skye Sherman, Southern Living, 13 Sep. 2026

Definition of delighting

Adjective

Convenience isn't the only reason to consider crafting a combination of Citi credit cards; Citi ThankYou® Rewards has valuable transfer partners and rewarding bonus spending categories.

— Jason Stauffer, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026
Was there something particularly rewarding in overseeing the album?

— Daniel Kohn, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of rewarding

Verb

On TikTok, creators crow about Le Pliage’s visually and physically satisfying design, produced in workshops across Western France.

— Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026
And as always, sites and zones on Mars for the choppers means satisfying engineering constraints imposed by the project and spacecraft design.

— Leonard David, Space.com, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of satisfying

Adjective

The most fulfilling part for me in telling the adult stories was the message of taking accountability and the power of forgiveness.

— Katie Campione, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2026
But having something to look forward to can make the transition smoother and more fulfilling.

— Andrew Rosen, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of fulfilling

Verb

The front floating console houses dual 50-watt wireless smartphone charging pads alongside a refrigerator and cooker capable of chilling drinks or warming food.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2026
The extended forecast looks mostly quiet, with a warming trend through the week.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of warming

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

gladdened

gladdening

gladdens

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Gladdening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gladdening. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of gladdening

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

jilt

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes