diff --git a/CHANGES/v2.3.md b/CHANGES/v2.3.md
index a2a7c92ea02b7e1db7ab6d181a48ff23efedb49b..19ac20a4d7678994b5bcd4e61b3fe791340ed7d3 100644
--- a/CHANGES/v2.3.md
+++ b/CHANGES/v2.3.md
@@ -241,4 +241,5 @@ For developers:
   from the interactive menu.
 - Install newer ccache on travis-ci, build faster.
 - Small fix in provided env modules (`PLUMED_VIMPATH` is set also when shared libraries are disabled).
+- Added some more debug macros when configuring with `--debug-glibcxx`.
 
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 0bfb79df8e1687327327be57b3009c2f2d4cc3b9..bd98ab45a0969b0947e9ae2a4be81d61cf26408b 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -8344,12 +8344,16 @@ $as_echo "$as_me: Release mode, adding -DNDEBUG" >&6;}
 
 fi
 
-# in debug-glibcxx mode, add -D_GLIBCXX_DEBUG
+# in debug-glibcxx mode, add other debug macros
 if test "$debug_glibcxx" == true ; then
-  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: Check boundaries, adding -D_GLIBCXX_DEBUG" >&5
-$as_echo "$as_me: Check boundaries, adding -D_GLIBCXX_DEBUG" >&6;}
+  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: Enabling libstdc++ debug options, adding -D_GLIBCXX_DEBUG -D_GLIBCXX_DEBUG_PEDANTIC -D_GLIBCXX_ASSERTIONS" >&5
+$as_echo "$as_me: Enabling libstdc++ debug options, adding -D_GLIBCXX_DEBUG -D_GLIBCXX_DEBUG_PEDANTIC -D_GLIBCXX_ASSERTIONS" >&6;}
   $as_echo "#define _GLIBCXX_DEBUG 1" >>confdefs.h
 
+  $as_echo "#define _GLIBCXX_DEBUG_PEDANTIC 1" >>confdefs.h
+
+  $as_echo "#define _GLIBCXX_DEBUG_ASSERTIONS 1" >>confdefs.h
+
 fi
 
 if test "$cxx_exceptions" == true ; then
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 08eddd60a8ca61ffde852e8c9a4064ef08ba818d..a1aa605bd3ada8c41a496bf7215236a7271b37b2 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -652,10 +652,12 @@ if test "$debug" == false ; then
   AC_DEFINE([NDEBUG])
 fi
 
-# in debug-glibcxx mode, add -D_GLIBCXX_DEBUG
+# in debug-glibcxx mode, add other debug macros
 if test "$debug_glibcxx" == true ; then
-  AC_MSG_NOTICE([Check boundaries, adding -D_GLIBCXX_DEBUG])
+  AC_MSG_NOTICE([Enabling libstdc++ debug options, adding -D_GLIBCXX_DEBUG -D_GLIBCXX_DEBUG_PEDANTIC -D_GLIBCXX_ASSERTIONS])
   AC_DEFINE([_GLIBCXX_DEBUG])
+  AC_DEFINE([_GLIBCXX_DEBUG_PEDANTIC])
+  AC_DEFINE([_GLIBCXX_DEBUG_ASSERTIONS])
 fi
 
 if test "$cxx_exceptions" == true ; then