Gilded Age

American  

noun

1. the period in the U.S. c1870–98, characterized by a greatly expanding economy and the emergence of plutocratic influences in government and society.

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Example Sentences

During the Gilded Age, many of the Eastern Seaboard’s socialites and financiers—including families linked to J.P.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

Ford captured this at the end of his piece: American progressivism emerged out of a rejection of corruption and self-dealing in the Gilded Age.

From Slate • Apr. 17, 2026

"This is the first opportunity where it's clear I have an opening where I will finish The Gilded Age in mid-August, and go into rehearsal for Hay Fever a few days later," she said.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

Ours is a history in which New York robber barons used the promise of belonging to splinter the poor into factions and manipulate them into fighting among themselves during the Gilded Age.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 24, 2026

To some, the multimillion-dollar party that Kozlowski gave on Sardinia to celebrate his wife’s birthday—replete with a vodka-spewing ice sculpture fashioned after Michelangelo’s David—was a modern echo of the lavish celebrations of the Gilded Age.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times