gilded
Americanadjective
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covered or highlighted with gold or something of a golden color.
-
having a pleasing or showy appearance that conceals something of little worth.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of gilded
before 1000; gild 1 + -ed 2; replacing Middle English gild, Old English gegyld
Explanation
Something gilded looks like gold, whether it is or not. If you've heard the expression "all that glitters is not gold," it's especially true of anything gilded. You might have first heard the word gilded in the name of a historical period in the U.S. known as The Gilded Age; the name suggests that the appearance of wealth concealed actual poverty. Gilded is often used to point out illusion in this way, but if no illusion is intended, it need not be a negative word. I think the gilded doves in your painting are especially lovely.
Vocabulary lists containing gilded
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
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Grade 11, List 4
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"Sonnet 55" by William Shakespeare
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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.
In its first 250 years, the U.S. has seen periods of shared prosperity alternating with eras like the Gilded Age, in which income inequality spiked.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
Carrie Coon, “The Gilded Age” “Expect to see Keri Russell in the running for ‘The Diplomat’ and Zendaya for the last season of ‘Euphoria.’
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
This stark contrast has created what feels like a new Gilded Age in commercial travel, experts say.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 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
She drags me to a bookstore, where we flip through some glossy magazines, including one called The Gilded Tween Scene.
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
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.
