gilded cage

Cultural  

1. To be like “a bird in a gilded cage” is to live in luxury but without freedom: “Because the movie star could not go out without being recognized and pursued, she stayed in her penthouse, living like a bird in a gilded cage.”

---

gilded cage Idioms  

1. The encumbrances or limitations that often accompany material wealth, as in She had furs, jewelry, whatever money could buy, but was trapped in a gilded cage. This metaphoric expression indicating that riches cannot buy happiness was popularized (and possibly coined) in a song, “A Bird in a Gilded Cage” (1990; lyrics by Arthur J. Lamb, music by Harry von Tilzer), about a young girl marrying for wealth instead of love and paying for luxury with a life of regret.

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gilded cage

Thomas Frank is trapped in a gilded cage at Tottenham Hotspur, his attempts to escape hindered by yet another joyless experience and more Premier League points dropped.

From BBC ● Jan. 4, 2026

If Guy Ritchie is looking for a second-season storyline this mass contrivance might inspire a hilarious subplot, along with giving Will and Kate something to binge from the velvety interior of their gilded cage.

From Salon ● Mar. 12, 2024

Before the speech, his allies had said he was craving interaction with people outside the gilded cage of the White House.

From New York Times ● Mar. 8, 2024

It’s also the part where “Priscilla” becomes most recognizably a Sofia Coppola movie, which is to say an extended stay in a meticulously gilded cage.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2023

“You’re definitely better suited to a gilded cage than to a real one.”

From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo