burnish
Americanverb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
burnishsimple
-
burnishessimple
-
have burnishedperfect
-
has burnishedperfect
-
am burnishingprogressive
-
are burnishingprogressive
-
is burnishingprogressive
-
have been burnishingperfect progressive
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has been burnishingperfect progressive
Past
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burnishedsimple
-
had burnishedperfect
-
was burnishingprogressive
-
were burnishingprogressive
-
had been burnishingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of burnish
1275–1325; Middle English burnissh < Anglo-French burniss-, Middle French bruniss- (long stem of burnir, brunir to darken, polish), equivalent to brun- brown + -iss- -ish 2
Explanation
That seductive gleam on that Porsche behind the dealer's window? It's called a burnish, a gloss only achieved by loads of polishing. Likewise, you can burnish a resume by polishing it until it's perfect. A caution about usage: burnish in the physical sense is usually reserved for inanimate objects, not people — you usually wouldn't say that someone's appearance is "burnished to perfection" or that your freshly scrubbed face is burnished. But you could burnish a car, a suit of armor, or a copper kettle. Reputations are among the most common non-physical things to be burnished.
Vocabulary lists containing burnish
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The Scarlet Letter
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Vocabulary from the Introduction to "Reality is Broken" by Jane McGonigal
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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.
See Examples For:
Again, they know that they can burnish their reputation, maybe get an appointment at a better law school, right?
From Slate ● Aug. 16, 2026
These certifications might help a job-seeker burnish their skills and stand out.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
Burns helped burnish Gannon’s credentials, personally telling the prince that the operative was the American in the room as Israel negotiated with Hamas to release its hostages in the aftermath of the Oct.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
For Macron, the summit will be one of his last chances to burnish his international standing and promote his cherished idea of European strategic autonomy before he leaves office next year.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
It’s a glorious evening, warm but not too close, the sun starting its lazy descent, shadows lengthening and the light just beginning to burnish the trees with gold.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
A trade deal would be a huge relief but even without that, a US presidential visit after nearly a decade burnishes Xi's message – that China is open for business and to the world.
From BBC ● May 12, 2026
Brazil has approved the cultivation and sale of drought-tolerant genetically modified wheat, a major boost for the once taboo crop as global food supply fears and regional dry weather burnishes the lure of GMO.
From Reuters ● Mar. 4, 2023
Maher likes to process the world as it relates to him and burnishes his point of view.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2021
Greg Kot burnishes his “dad-rock daily newspaper critic credentials.”
From New York Times ● Jun. 22, 2021
Activity is the rubbing paper that scours the rust from the soul and burnishes her to a new shine.
From Stories from the Old Attic by Robert A. Harris
It begins in a dim restaurant, glasses of wine giving off a burnished glow as the professor protagonist expounds on memory and the workings of the brain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
A roast chicken can be imagined burnished and fragrant, surrounded by little potatoes, perhaps with thyme involved.
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
Jones manages his superb cast with aplomb and cinematographer Wyatt Garfield evocatively captures lower Manhattan’s wintry, burnished glow.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Initial public euphoria over Pakistan's image being burnished on the global stage has begun to give way to fraying patience after weeks of stop-start restrictions around Islamabad.
From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026
In silver inlay on the breastplate of his burnished scarlet armor was a white tree bare and dead, surrounded by a flock of onyx ravens taking flight.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
And all were endorsed by Zohran Mamdani, the city’s Democratic Socialist mayor, burnishing his kingmaker bona fides.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
Even the youngest boys at Page were expected to evaluate their own performances honorably and honestly, and, according to one burnishing newspaper account, to realize “what it means to be ‘the captain of his soul.’”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
He understood the role of the press in communicating the Fed’s thinking and in burnishing his reputation.
From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026
Shares in Gucci-owner Kering gained more ground Thursday after sales at the fashion house beat expectations in the most recent quarter, lifting revenue at the parent group and burnishing hopes of a sustained turnaround.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2025
The light shifted during the afternoon and cascaded through the clean windows, burnishing the room with gold.
From "The Marvels" by Brian Selznick
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.
