gilded
Americanadjective
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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
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.
The man was not instantly recognisable, but gold medals and gilded certificates piled nearby were inscribed with the name Hussam Luka.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
On her fireplace, an ornate gilded mirror from the 1940s she found at Sunbeam Vintage is flanked by porcelain figurines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
At the rear of the hospital, grey coffins with gilded bas-reliefs emerged before the cameras of dozens of journalists.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
He discouraged Trump from leaving early—as he had in past summits—by scheduling a dinner at the end of the summit inside the gilded interiors of the Palace of Versailles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
I pulled out kirtles, caps, and bodices, the gilded prayer book and a cracked looking glass Gertrude had given me.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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.
