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  • All that glitters is not gold
    All that glitters is not gold
    Things that appear on the surface to be of great value may be quite worthless.
  • all that glitters is not gold
    all that glitters is not gold
    Something attractive is not always what it seems, as in This house is really beautiful, but a close look will show dry rot near the foundation—all that glitters is not gold. Aesop stated the same idea in two of his fables (c. 600 b.c.), and a version close to the current wording appeared in 1175.

All that glitters is not gold

Cultural  
  1. Things that appear on the surface to be of great value may be quite worthless.


all that glitters is not gold Idioms  
  1. Something attractive is not always what it seems, as in This house is really beautiful, but a close look will show dry rot near the foundation—all that glitters is not gold. Aesop stated the same idea in two of his fables (c. 600 b.c.), and a version close to the current wording appeared in 1175.


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:

All that glitters is not gold, Herr Candidate.

From The Romance of the Canoness A Life-History by Paul Heyse

All that glitters is not gold: Think of this when that beef's cold.

From Mr. Punch's After-Dinner Stories by J. A. (John Alexander) Hammerton

The proverb's teachings we must hold "All that glitters is not gold."

From Perfect Behavior; a guide for ladies and gentlemen in all social crises by Donald Ogden Stewart

"All that glitters is not gold, Often you have heard that told; Many a man his life hath sold But my outside to behold!"

From Shakspere, Personal Recollections by John A. Joyce

What is it that comes to tell us All that glitters is not gold?

From Life and Literature Over two thousand extracts from ancient and modern writers, and classified in alphabetical order by John Purver Richardson

While you may not always see them strike a deal, you’re always guaranteed a chuckle and a reminder that all that glitters is not gold.

From New York Times Apr. 1, 2024

Maybe all that glitters is not gold after all?

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 7, 2023

In the Hollywood world of make-believe all that glitters is not gold.

From BBC Apr. 22, 2023

"But all that glitters is not gold," our narrator Rosamund Pike warns, as our American television star embarks on an alliance with a family that "will do whatever it takes to survive."

From Salon Feb. 16, 2020

"And all that glitters is not gold," suggested T. X. a little wearily.

From The Clue of the Twisted Candle by Edgar Wallace

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