gilded
Americanadjective
-
covered or highlighted with gold or something of a golden color.
-
having a pleasing or showy appearance that conceals something of little worth.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of gilded
before 1000; gild 1 + -ed 2; replacing Middle English gild, Old English gegyld
Explanation
Something gilded looks like gold, whether it is or not. If you've heard the expression "all that glitters is not gold," it's especially true of anything gilded. You might have first heard the word gilded in the name of a historical period in the U.S. known as The Gilded Age; the name suggests that the appearance of wealth concealed actual poverty. Gilded is often used to point out illusion in this way, but if no illusion is intended, it need not be a negative word. I think the gilded doves in your painting are especially lovely.
Vocabulary lists containing gilded
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
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Grade 11, List 4
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"Sonnet 55" by William Shakespeare
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Americans from the Gilded Age saw the Declaration as their own possession, not merely an object for study.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
Christine Baranski, “The Gilded Age” “This year, the role of ‘The White Lotus’ will be played by ‘The Pitt,’ which will dominate in both supporting categories.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
This stark contrast has created what feels like a new Gilded Age in commercial travel, experts say.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026
Ford captured this at the end of his piece: American progressivism emerged out of a rejection of corruption and self-dealing in the Gilded Age.
From Slate • Apr. 17, 2026
Gilded cages held all sorts of birds she'd never seen before.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
