gilded

American  

[gil-did] / ˈgɪl dɪd /

adjective

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

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

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Other Word Forms

• nongilded adjective
• ungilded adjective

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.

Example Sentences

In the lavish memorial erected by his grieving widow, Queen Victoria, Prince Albert is golden, but few world leaders are permanently gilded, and certainly not before their deaths.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

As an aide hovers, reminding Mr. Walesa that he must depart soon for his next appointment, I ask about a gilded statuette that sits on a table next to him.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

The restaurant is unapologetically gilded, from the walls to the Japanese kintsugi–inspired plates, which reference the tradition of repairing broken pottery with gold.

From Salon • Feb. 2, 2026

The veteran Scot stood down after winning the club's 20th English league crown following two decades of domestic dominance gilded by European success.

From Barron's • Jan. 5, 2026

The principal’s office was a cramped, achromatic cubicle separated from the library door by a glass trophy case that overflowed with the gilded booty of athletics earned over the past thirty years.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

Related Words

• luxurious
• ornate