golden
adjective
golden
1 American
[gohl-duhn]
/ ˈgoʊl dən /
adjective
-
bright, metallic, or lustrous like gold; of the color of gold; yellow.
golden hair.
-
made or consisting of gold.
golden earrings.
-
exceptionally valuable, advantageous, or fine.
a golden opportunity.
-
having glowing vitality; radiant.
golden youth.
-
full of happiness, prosperity, or vigor.
golden hours;
a golden era of exploration.
-
highly talented and favored; destined for success.
television's golden boy.
-
richly soft and smooth.
a golden voice.
-
indicating the fiftieth event of a series.
a golden wedding anniversary.
Golden
2
American
[gohl-duhn]
/ ˈgoʊl dən /
noun
golden
British
/ ˈɡəʊldən /
adjective
-
of the yellowish or brownish-yellow metallic colour of gold
golden hair
-
made from or largely consisting of gold
a golden statue
-
happy or prosperous
golden days
-
(sometimes capital) (of anniversaries) the 50th in a series
Golden Jubilee
golden wedding
-
informal very successful or destined for success
the golden girl of tennis
-
extremely valuable or advantageous
a golden opportunity
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of golden
Explanation
Something that's golden is made out of gold. A queen in a fairy tale might wear an elaborate golden crown. Aside from golden ornaments and jewelry, things the color of gold are also golden, like a boy's golden hair or golden fields of wheat. If you talk about a golden time or a golden opportunity, you mean something marked by luck, peace, and happiness. In Old English, it was common to add the suffix -en to mean "made of," but golden is one of just a few of these words in modern English (including wooden and waxen).
Vocabulary lists containing golden
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -en
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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.
See Examples For:
In Salzburg, Dudamel indulged the Vienna Philharmonic’s incomparable lushness, those plush strings, glowing winds, golden brass, voluminous timpani.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
The U.S. government now holds equity in several companies, including Intel, rare-earths supplier MP Materials and, through a single golden share, veto power over U.S.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
Since that golden month in France, Wales feel like they belong at this level.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
I melted the butter and miso together until fragrant and faintly nutty, then brushed it over sourdough and baked the slices until deeply golden.
From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2026
It was one thing to excavate a stone from the archway, but how were they going to explain a five-foot-tall rabbit with golden antlers?
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
The Sparks outscored Golden State 31-20 overall in the fourth to get back within four with less than four minutes to play.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Moments after Golden Tempo’s victory in this year’s Derby, trainer Cherie DeVaux was asked if she would run in the Preakness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
The Ponte 25 de Abril suspension bridge is often compared to San Francisco’s Golden Gate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
For instance, her only Golden Globe, from six nominations, was for the first season of “Felicity.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Rather, the lessons this life has planted in my heart pertain more to caring than to crops, more to Golden Rule than gold, more to the proper choice than to the popular choice.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
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.
