veneer
Americannoun
-
veneers
plural
-
a thin layer of wood or other material for facing or inlaying wood.
-
any of the thin layers of wood glued together to form plywood.
-
Building Trades. a facing of a certain material applied to a different one or to a type of construction not ordinarily associated with it, as a facing of brick applied to a frame house.
-
a superficially valuable or pleasing appearance.
a cruel person with a veneer of kindliness.
verb (used with object)
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veneers,
present (3rd person singular)
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veneered,
past participle, past
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veneering
present participle
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to overlay or face (wood) with thin sheets of some material, as a fine wood, ivory, or tortoise shell.
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to face or cover (an object) with any material that is more desirable as a surface material than the basic material of the object; revet.
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to cement (layers of wood veneer) to form plywood.
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to give a superficially valuable or pleasing appearance to.
noun
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a thin layer of wood, plastic, etc, with a decorative or fine finish that is bonded to the surface of a less expensive material, usually wood
-
a superficial appearance, esp one that is pleasing
a veneer of gentility
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any facing material that is applied to a different backing material
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any one of the layers of wood that is used to form plywood
verb
-
to cover (a surface) with a veneer
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to bond together (thin layers of wood) to make plywood
-
to conceal (something) under a superficially pleasant surface
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
veneersimple
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veneerssimple
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have veneeredperfect
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has veneeredperfect
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am veneeringprogressive
-
are veneeringprogressive
-
is veneeringprogressive
-
have been veneeringperfect progressive
-
has been veneeringperfect progressive
Past
-
veneeredsimple
-
had veneeredperfect
-
was veneeringprogressive
-
were veneeringprogressive
-
had been veneeringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of veneer
First recorded in 1695–1705; earlier fineering, faneering, from German Fourni(e)rung, Furni(e)rung (from furni(e)ren “to furnish,” from French fournir; cf. furnish) + -ung -ing 1
Explanation
You know how some furniture looks like solid oak or maple until it gets chipped and reveals itself to be nothing more than some cheap particle-board covered with a thin layer of fancy wood? That thin layer is called a veneer. A veneer can be anything that makes something look more elegant or attractive than it is. Originally it was a furniture word, but over time its meaning expanded. If someone smiles at you while making some passive-aggressive remark, like, "Gee, you actually look really nice today," you could say that her inner meanness is showing through her veneer of sweetness.
Vocabulary lists containing veneer
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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:
Between them they have done more than any other economists to provide an intellectual veneer to the case for introducing wealth taxes in America.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
“When something has a veneer that is very pleasant and there’s no messiness or warts, you wonder if there’s something going on underneath,” Kelly says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Jolie’s work is bold, and almost imperceptibly so, quietly channeling a part of herself that is entirely removed from the veneer of fame and celebrity.
From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026
They didn’t do that because they wanted to have the trappings and the veneer of making it look as if it were a real federal case.
From Slate ● Jun. 9, 2026
At least they’re covered by a veneer of civility.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
“To be able to throw at SoFi is crazy,” Koy said with a sparkling grin of bright white veneers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 5, 2026
The material can also be used on exposed dentine, creating an enamel-like coating that helps reduce tooth sensitivity and improves how restorations, such as fillings or veneers, bond to the tooth surface.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2025
Before undergoing the treatment, performed under local anaesthetic, she said her surgeon told her she would have a sinus lift and a bone graft, along with removing her veneers and having implants put in.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2025
The LED headlights, less blinding in the glare of the afternoon, lit up the grill like high-octane veneers.
From Slate ● Jun. 22, 2025
The front of thin veneers was cut out to make a pretty pattern and there was old-rose silk behind this fretted wood design.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
Even crime in Orange County has been sensationalized and glamorized, with themes veneered by opulence, secrecy and illusions of suburban perfection.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2026
Across the land, Britons huddled in front of early-model black-and-white television sets in veneered cabinets or celebrated with street parties.
From New York Times ● Sep. 8, 2022
These rooms may lack the opulence of the Southwest Chief’s predecessor, the “Super Chief” – whose lavish veneered interiors charmed LA-bound Hollywood stars in the 1940s – but they are quiet and comfortable.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 29, 2020
It was the first house I had ever been in that did not have wardrobes, no three-piece set of veneered chipboard, that leaned precariously as the glue loosened in the dowels.
From The New Yorker ● Jan. 6, 2020
Satisfied, he takes a sealed envelope from the black gym bag on the floor and lays it across the veneered pressboard desk, making sure it’s straight.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
A renovation in 2000 had tried to make the still-open parts of the site more traditionally Moroccan, veneering the concrete with green tile and carved wooden panels.
From New York Times ● Oct. 1, 2019
Saco and his team of highly skilled artisans perform a wide range of museum-quality work, from the simplest cosmetic touch-ups and refinishing to caning, inlay, veneering, upholstery and recreation of missing parts.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 22, 2015
We have one man in veneering and we used to have three.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2012
At first a supporter of Woodrow Wilson, he grew scornful of the President's caution, eventually warned his readers: "Beneath the veneering of scholarly polish lies the coiled serpent of unscrupulous ambition."
From Time Magazine Archive
Among the city’s manufactures are wagons and carriages, furniture, wooden-ware, veneering, sash and doors, ladders, lawn swings, rubber goods, flour, foundry products and agricultural machinery.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 3 "Gordon, Lord George" to "Grasses" by Various
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