varnish
Americannoun
-
varnishes
plural
-
a preparation consisting of resinous matter, as copal or lac, dissolved in an oil oil varnish or in alcohol spirit varnish or other volatile liquid. When applied to the surface of wood, metal, etc., it dries and leaves a hard, more or less glossy, usually transparent coating.
-
the sap of certain trees, used for the same purpose natural varnish.
-
any of various other preparations similarly used, as one having India rubber, pyroxylin, or asphalt as its chief constituent.
-
a coating or surface of varnish.
-
something resembling or suggesting a coat of varnish; gloss.
-
superficial polish or external show, especially to conceal some defect or inadequacy.
The play has a varnish of witty dialogue.
-
British. nail polish.
verb (used with object)
-
varnishes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
varnished,
past participle, past
-
varnishing
present participle
noun
-
Also called: oil varnish. a preparation consisting of a solvent, a drying oil, and usually resin, rubber, bitumen, etc, for application to a surface where it polymerizes to yield a hard glossy, usually transparent, coating
-
a similar preparation consisting of a substance, such as shellac or cellulose ester, dissolved in a volatile solvent, such as alcohol. It hardens to a film on evaporation of the solvent See also spirit varnish
-
Also called: natural varnish. the sap of certain trees used to produce such a coating
-
a smooth surface, coated with or as with varnish
-
an artificial, superficial, or deceptively pleasing manner, covering, etc; veneer
-
another word for nail polish
verb
-
to cover with varnish
-
to give a smooth surface to, as if by painting with varnish
-
to impart a more attractive appearance to
-
to make superficially attractive
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
varnishsimple
-
varnishessimple
-
have varnishedperfect
-
has varnishedperfect
-
am varnishingprogressive
-
are varnishingprogressive
-
is varnishingprogressive
-
have been varnishingperfect progressive
-
has been varnishingperfect progressive
Past
-
varnishedsimple
-
had varnishedperfect
-
was varnishingprogressive
-
were varnishingprogressive
-
had been varnishingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of varnish
1300–50; Middle English varnisch < Middle French vernis, verniz < Medieval Latin vernicium sandarac < Medieval Greek bernī́kē, syncopated variant of Greek Berenī́kē, city in Cyrenaica
Explanation
Varnish is a shiny coating that's painted on a floor or piece of furniture and then dries clear and luminous. After refinishing an old oak chair, you might apply a coat of varnish. (Just don't sit on it until it's dry.) Varnish gives artwork, furniture, and other objects a finished, glossy look, and it also protects the surface. Most varnish is made from oil, solvent, and resin. You can also use the word as a verb, meaning "to coat with varnish." Many people decide to varnish their wood floors or their wooden kitchen counters. The Medieval Latin root word is vernix, "odorous or fragrant resin."
Vocabulary lists containing varnish
Stroke of Genius: Words About Painting
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Stranger
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Princess Bride
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
A tiny stamp, “52,” painted beneath layers of varnish on the painting’s top left corner, didn’t match any known art inventories, either.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
The researchers envision the treatment being available in two forms: a daily-use toothpaste or a professional gel applied by dentists, similar to nail varnish.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 10, 2025
I cubed the steak and browned it hard in my cherry red Dutch oven, watching it cast off its fat and leave behind a savory varnish on the enamel.
From Salon ● Jun. 16, 2025
Such resin was used as a preservative in wine and, in Egypt, as incense and as varnish on funerary equipment of the New Kingdom era.
From New York Times ● Jun. 20, 2024
Pocock had spent his days at Travers Island carefully sanding down the shell’s hull and then applying coat after coat of marine varnish, buffing each coat until the shell glistened.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
Existing products such as fluoride varnishes and remineralization treatments can help strengthen remaining enamel or reduce symptoms, but they cannot effectively replace the original enamel structure.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
Göransson has scored every Coogler picture since his 2009 student film “Locks,” and he never merely varnishes them with music in postproduction — he is truly Coogler’s co-author.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2025
MTV’s picture of the art world varnishes the sheer desperation and insecurity found at almost every level of the game.
From New York Times ● Apr. 5, 2023
Insulation, varnishes, sealants, piping, pigments, fireproofing material — all contain such compounds; nearly 20% of plastic goes to the building industry.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 24, 2022
It is also used as a fuel for motors and is a very valuable solvent for many substances such as resin, oils, colouring-matter, varnishes, and ethereal essences.
From The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 1 A to Amide by Various
She rushed off to have her nails varnished at her favorite salon, which was destroyed in the mall strike but has reopened in a building nearby.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
His family, who had arrived from the Philippines in droves to celebrate his 50th birthday, beamed from the first several rows of glossy, varnished pews.
From Salon ● Mar. 31, 2024
A quick way to see whether something is laminated or varnished is to tear it, she explained.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2023
Villagers instituted lay church caretakers called “mayordomos,” and filled chapels with elaborate altarpieces made of local wood and varnished with pine sap.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 29, 2023
I remember the carriage, the horse going slowly, and up ahead the back of the driver with his varnished high hat, and Catherine Barkley sitting beside me.
From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway
Ironically, the 1974 varnishing and warm wax relining had helped keep the surface paint in place when the violent ripping happened.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2022
Shipwrights and volunteers will be recorking about 4,000 linear feet of seams on deck, conducting mechanical systems maintenance, painting and varnishing.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 28, 2022
And we applaud university officials who aren’t varnishing their words.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 31, 2019
A lot of painting, a lot of varnishing, like all the deck seams are cocked with pitch, and every once in a while one spring will leak and then it has to be redone.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2017
They went on with their work of sanding or varnishing the newly finished benches, but they didn’t talk.
From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
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.
