Glad means feeling happy or pleased about something. When you're glad, you experience a warm sense of satisfaction or relief. You might feel glad when a friend recovers from being sick, when your team wins a close game, or when you finally understand a tricky math concept you've been working on.

Glad is gentler than words like thrilled or ecstatic. If you discover you're getting a puppy, you'd probably feel thrilled. But if you learn that tomorrow's soccer practice got moved to a better time, you'd feel glad. The word captures that comfortable, contented feeling when things work out nicely.

People often say “I'm glad that...” when expressing relief or satisfaction: “I'm glad you could come to my birthday party” or “I'm so glad we studied for that quiz.” You can also be glad about something (“I'm glad about the sunshine today”) or glad to do something (“I'd be glad to help you with that project”).

The word appears in the phrase “glad tidings,” which means good news, and in “gladly,” meaning willingly and happily, as in “I'd gladly share my lunch with you.”