burnish
verb (used with object)
to polish (a surface) by friction.
burnished
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past participleof burnish.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof burnish.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
burnishverb (used with object)to polish (a surface) by friction.
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.
It begins in a dim restaurant, glasses of wine giving off a burnished glow as the professor protagonist expounds on memory and the workings of the brain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
A roast chicken can be imagined burnished and fragrant, surrounded by little potatoes, perhaps with thyme involved.
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
Jones manages his superb cast with aplomb and cinematographer Wyatt Garfield evocatively captures lower Manhattan’s wintry, burnished glow.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
It also burnished the reputation of its low-key Northern Irish chief designer, 41, who was appointed almost exactly a year ago with the task of modernising all of Dior's fashion lines.
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026
His hair was long and burnished gold, and his pale blue eyes glinted like ice beneath a winter sun.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
