gilded

[ gil-did ]

/ ˈgɪl dɪd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR gilded ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

covered or highlighted with gold or something of a golden color.

having a pleasing or showy appearance that conceals something of little worth.

Nearby words

gilbertian, gilbertine, gild, gild the lily, gilda, gilded, gilded age, gilded cage, gilder, gildhall, gilding

Origin of gilded

before 1000; gild¹ + -ed²; replacing Middle English gild, Old English gegyld

Related forms

non·gild·ed, adjectiveun·gild·ed, adjective

Can be confused

gilded golden

Definition for gilded (2 of 2)

gild

[ gild ]

/ gɪld /

verb (used with object), gild·ed or gilt, gild·ing.

to coat with gold, gold leaf, or a gold-colored substance.

to give a bright, pleasing, or specious aspect to.

Archaic. to make red, as with blood.

Origin of gild

1300–50; Middle English gilden, Old English -gyldan; akin to gold

Related forms

gild·a·ble, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for gilded

Mary Soames is an exception to the rule that gilded offspring endure life rather than enjoy it.
Churchill’s Secret Treasures for Sale: A British PM’s Life on the Auction Block|Tom Teodorczuk|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You may be wondering what work of monumental consequence is contained within these gilded pages.
Rand Paul’s Many Leather-Bound Books|Olivia Nuzzi|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Feast your eyes on the ‘top-grain leather,’ ‘original’ design, gilded pages.
Rand Paul’s Many Leather-Bound Books|Olivia Nuzzi|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At Oscar after-parties, movie stars clutch In-N-Out burgers in one hand and gilded trophies in the other.
My Big, Buttery Lobster Roll Rumble: We Came, We Clawed, We Conquered|Scott Bixby|June 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Even in 1999, this gilded cage of a cushy but unstimulating white-collar career was only available to certain people.
Complaining Like It’s 1999: ‘Fight Club,’ ‘American Beauty,’ and the Revolt of the Cubicle Drone|Arthur Chu|June 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For this he was gilded all over, and this gilding suited him and his family very well.
What the Moon Saw: and Other Tales|Hans Christian Andersen
The rain washed his gilded harness as he lay with his blood soaking into the crevices of the rocks.
The Hill of Venus|Nathan Gallizier
The impression is that of the right foot, and is covered with a maradop, a pyramidal canopy supported by gilded pilasters.
Roman Mosaics|Hugh Macmillan
While the gilded youth slept the Woman woke and listened, and Morty was left disconsolate.
In the Heart of a Fool|William Allen White
Other carriages follow the funeral car, one of which contains sticks of fragrant wood, with gilded ends—the fuel for the burning.
The Kingdom of the Yellow Robe|Ernest Young

British Dictionary definitions for gilded (1 of 2)

gild

/ (ɡɪld) /

verb gilds, gilding, gilded or gilt (ɡɪlt) (tr)

to cover with or as if with gold

gild the lily

to adorn unnecessarily something already beautiful
to praise someone inordinately

to give a falsely attractive or valuable appearance to

archaic to smear with blood

Derived Forms

gilder, noun

Word Origin for gild

Old English gyldan, from gold gold; related to Old Norse gylla, Middle High German vergülden

British Dictionary definitions for gilded (2 of 2)

gild

/ (ɡɪld) /

noun

a variant spelling of guild (def. 2)

Derived Forms

gildsman, noun

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