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Synonyms

rhinestone

American  
[rahyn-stohn] / ˈraɪnˌstoʊn /

noun

  1. an artificial gem of paste, often cut to resemble a diamond.

rhinestone British  
/ ˈraɪnˌstəʊn /

noun

  1. an imitation gem made of paste

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of rhinestone

1885–90; Rhine + stone (translation of French caillou du Rhin )

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.

A woman, in a rhinestone shirt, told me that she wanted to convene her fellow cyclists to whizz by the gulleys and alleyways around Tucson, searching for clues in the muck.

From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026

Roan’s fiery hair is piled in a foot-high bouffant above a rhinestone tiara, her face layered in kabuki-like powder.

From Salon • Feb. 19, 2026

I have Ed Hardy on, a one-of-one with a rhinestone embellishment on the back, and I have a gold chain with Jesus on it.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 1, 2024

It includes Mercury's handwritten working lyrics to one of Queen's greatest anthems, We Are The Champions, a red velvet and rhinestone crown he wore on stage and the telephone he kept beside his bed.

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2023

A chipped rhinestone crown topped her busted wig-of-many-hairpieces.

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray

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.