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glossy

American  
[glos-ee, glaw-see] / ˈglɒs i, ˈglɔ si /

adjective

glossier, glossiest

  1. having a shiny or lustrous surface.

    Synonyms:
    glazed, polished, shining
    Antonyms:
    dull

  2. having a false or deceptive appearance or air, especially of experience or sophistication; specious.

noun

plural

glossies

  1. slick.

  2. a photograph printed on glossy paper.

glossy British  
/ ˈɡlɒsɪ /

adjective

  1. smooth and shiny; lustrous

  2. superficially attractive; plausible

  3. (of a magazine) lavishly produced on shiny paper and usually with many colour photographs

"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

noun

  1. Also called (US): slick.  an expensively produced magazine, typically a sophisticated fashion or glamour magazine, printed on shiny paper and containing high quality colour photography Compare pulp

  2. a photograph printed on paper that has a smooth shiny surface

"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

Other Word Forms

  • glossily adverb
  • glossiness noun
  • nonglossy adjective
  • unglossy adjective

Etymology

Origin of glossy

First recorded in 1550–60; gloss 1 + -y 1

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.