burnish
Americanverb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
burnishsimple
-
burnishessimple
-
have burnishedperfect
-
has burnishedperfect
-
am burnishingprogressive
-
are burnishingprogressive
-
is burnishingprogressive
-
have been burnishingperfect progressive
-
has been burnishingperfect progressive
Past
-
burnishedsimple
-
had burnishedperfect
-
was burnishingprogressive
-
were burnishingprogressive
-
had been burnishingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of burnish
1275–1325; Middle English burnissh < Anglo-French burniss-, Middle French bruniss- (long stem of burnir, brunir to darken, polish), equivalent to brun- brown + -iss- -ish 2
Explanation
That seductive gleam on that Porsche behind the dealer's window? It's called a burnish, a gloss only achieved by loads of polishing. Likewise, you can burnish a resume by polishing it until it's perfect. A caution about usage: burnish in the physical sense is usually reserved for inanimate objects, not people — you usually wouldn't say that someone's appearance is "burnished to perfection" or that your freshly scrubbed face is burnished. But you could burnish a car, a suit of armor, or a copper kettle. Reputations are among the most common non-physical things to be burnished.
Vocabulary lists containing burnish
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Scarlet Letter
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Vocabulary from the Introduction to "Reality is Broken" by Jane McGonigal
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
His tone has grown more strident as he uncovers more examples of apparent fraud, which he attributes to junior researchers chasing career advancement and senior professors letting misconduct go unchecked to burnish their own résumés.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
For Macron, the summit will be one of his last chances to burnish his international standing and promote his cherished idea of European strategic autonomy before he leaves office next year.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
For Delhi, the leadership summit will be important to further burnish its credentials as a growing geopolitical power, and it will want it to go ahead.
From BBC ● May 23, 2026
Raja Qaiser Ahmed, a professor of international relations at Islamabad's Quaid-i-Azam University, said Pakistan's robust military responses in both conflicts helped burnish its regional credentials.
From Barron's ● Apr. 14, 2026
I sensed her weakness and spent most of class coming up with creative ways to burnish my status as class clown.
From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore
A trade deal would be a huge relief but even without that, a US presidential visit after nearly a decade burnishes Xi's message – that China is open for business and to the world.
From BBC ● May 12, 2026
In exchange, the work burnishes the firm’s reputation and serves as a draw for idealistic young associates.
From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2025
Brazil has approved the cultivation and sale of drought-tolerant genetically modified wheat, a major boost for the once taboo crop as global food supply fears and regional dry weather burnishes the lure of GMO.
From Reuters ● Mar. 4, 2023
The arrival of L’Avant-Garde raises the game for the French competition and burnishes the constellation of stars.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 10, 2023
See how that beetle burnishes in the path!
From Selections from the Poems and Plays of Robert Browning by Reynolds, Myra
In Sabina Hahn’s spare, watercolor illustrations, the pickle is a burnished emerald green with round eyes and no mouth—which makes it all the more remarkable when it begins to speak.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
He may have lost some mainstream acceptance and his FX series, but has since lined his bank account and burnished his career quite handsomely.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
LOS ANGELES—State Farm has burnished its reputation as the country’s largest home and auto insurer with its “good neighbor” slogan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 2, 2026
The 24-year-old burnished his credentials as a Most Valuable Player contender, helping a young, surprise-package Pistons side to improve the best record in the entire NBA this season so far, to 41-13.
From Barron's ● Feb. 20, 2026
Ser Addam dropped to one knee, a rangy man with dark copper hair that fell to his shoulders, armored in burnished bronzed steel with the fiery tree of his House etched black on his breastplate.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
He lost the use of his right hand after a bombing in 1981, burnishing his credentials as a Shia revolutionary who has known sacrifice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
And all were endorsed by Zohran Mamdani, the city’s Democratic Socialist mayor, burnishing his kingmaker bona fides.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
He understood the role of the press in communicating the Fed’s thinking and in burnishing his reputation.
From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026
It is criticism like this, though, that make the resolution of the Thai-Cambodia war a rare win for Asean, with Trump's visit burnishing that success.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2025
The light shifted during the afternoon and cascaded through the clean windows, burnishing the room with gold.
From "The Marvels" by Brian Selznick
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.
