sheen

¹

[sheen]

noun

1. luster; brightness; radiance.

2. gleaming attire.

adjective

1. shining.

2. beautiful.

verb (used without object)

1. Scot. and North England.,  to shine.

Sheen

²

[sheen]

noun

1. Fulton (John), 1895–1979, U.S. Roman Catholic clergyman, writer, and teacher.

sheen

/ ʃiːn /

noun

1. a gleaming or glistening brightness; lustre

2. poetic,  splendid clothing

adjective

1. rare,  shining and beautiful; radiant

Other Word Forms

• sheenful adjective
• sheenless adjective
• sheenly adverb
• sheeny adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sheen¹

First recorded before 900; (adjective) Middle English sheene “beautiful, bright, shining,” Old English scēne; cognate with German schön; (verb) Middle English s(c)henen, derivative of the adjective; (noun) derivative of the adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sheen¹

Old English sciene; related to Old Norse skjōni white horse, Gothic skauns beautiful, Old High German scōni bright

Synonym Study

See polish.

Example Sentences

Executives in the Christian music industry believe that contemporary sheen has also helped the songs spread.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Its writer Daniel Welsh said: "The glossy sheen of the show and its stacked cast might make you think it's verging on 'so bad it's good' territory, but it's really just a boring dud."

Read more on BBC

Smaller stocks that have an AI sheen and are popular with retail investors were hit extremely hard.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In the Fall Classic, the Dodgers’ sheen of invincibility was shattered.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Their beveled corners are polished to a high glossy sheen, which creates slender vertical stripes that contrast sharply with the charcoal shadows from which they emerge.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• glaze 
• gleam 
• gloss 
• luster 
• patina 
• shimmer