veneer

American  

[vuh-neer] / vəˈnɪər /

noun

• veneers
  plural

1. a thin layer of wood or other material for facing or inlaying wood.

2. any of the thin layers of wood glued together to form plywood.

3. Building Trades. a facing of a certain material applied to a different one or to a type of construction not ordinarily associated with it, as a facing of brick applied to a frame house.

4. a superficially valuable or pleasing appearance.

   a cruel person with a veneer of kindliness.

   Synonyms:

   guise, mask, show, front, facade

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verb (used with object)

• veneers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• veneered,
  past participle,  past
• veneering
  present participle

1. to overlay or face (wood) with thin sheets of some material, as a fine wood, ivory, or tortoise shell.

2. to face or cover (an object) with any material that is more desirable as a surface material than the basic material of the object; revet.

3. to cement (layers of wood veneer) to form plywood.

4. to give a superficially valuable or pleasing appearance to.

veneer British  

/ vɪˈnɪə /

noun

1. a thin layer of wood, plastic, etc, with a decorative or fine finish that is bonded to the surface of a less expensive material, usually wood

2. a superficial appearance, esp one that is pleasing

   a veneer of gentility

3. any facing material that is applied to a different backing material

4. any one of the layers of wood that is used to form plywood

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verb

1. to cover (a surface) with a veneer

2. to bond together (thin layers of wood) to make plywood

3. to conceal (something) under a superficially pleasant surface

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• veneerer
  noun
• unveneered
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• veneers
  plural

Participles

• veneering
  present
• veneered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• veneer
  simple
• veneers
  simple
• have veneered
  perfect
• has veneered
  perfect
• am veneering
  progressive
• are veneering
  progressive
• is veneering
  progressive
• have been veneering
  perfect progressive
• has been veneering
  perfect progressive

Past

• veneered
  simple
• had veneered
  perfect
• was veneering
  progressive
• were veneering
  progressive
• had been veneering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will veneer
  simple
• will have veneered
  perfect
• will be veneering
  progressive
• will have been veneering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of veneer

First recorded in 1695–1705; earlier fineering, faneering, from German Fourni(e)rung, Furni(e)rung (from furni(e)ren “to furnish,” from French fournir; cf. furnish) + -ung -ing ¹

Explanation

You know how some furniture looks like solid oak or maple until it gets chipped and reveals itself to be nothing more than some cheap particle-board covered with a thin layer of fancy wood? That thin layer is called a veneer. A veneer can be anything that makes something look more elegant or attractive than it is. Originally it was a furniture word, but over time its meaning expanded. If someone smiles at you while making some passive-aggressive remark, like, "Gee, you actually look really nice today," you could say that her inner meanness is showing through her veneer of sweetness.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

veneer veneers veneered veneering

“When something has a veneer that is very pleasant and there’s no messiness or warts, you wonder if there’s something going on underneath,” Kelly says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

Jolie’s work is bold, and almost imperceptibly so, quietly channeling a part of herself that is entirely removed from the veneer of fame and celebrity.

From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026

They didn’t do that because they wanted to have the trappings and the veneer of making it look as if it were a real federal case.

From Slate ● Jun. 9, 2026

The shingles of cucumber add texture and a veneer of virtue.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026

What was of worth was not me, but the veneer of constraints and observances that obscured me.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

"If you're building a new home, on plywood, if you're replacing your floor, on veneers, if you're getting married, on cut flowers, if you're going out fishing, on fishing poles," he said.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

The material can also be used on exposed dentine, creating an enamel-like coating that helps reduce tooth sensitivity and improves how restorations, such as fillings or veneers, bond to the tooth surface.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2025

All teeth yellow with time, and no amount of brushing and mouthwash can fix that—you’d have to have veneers or get bleach treatments, common choices for many Americans, particularly those in the public eye.

From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2025

Over the course of “White Lotus” Season 3, “Sex Education” alumna Wood left an impression on viewers with her performance and her imperfect teeth, which she has publicly embraced amid the growing popularity of veneers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2025

Whenever we first opened its door at the top of the creaky narrow stairs we smelled the fresh veneers of pine oil and bleach and lemon balm.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

These rooms may lack the opulence of the Southwest Chief’s predecessor, the “Super Chief” – whose lavish veneered interiors charmed LA-bound Hollywood stars in the 1940s – but they are quiet and comfortable.

From The Guardian ● Jan. 29, 2020

It was the first house I had ever been in that did not have wardrobes, no three-piece set of veneered chipboard, that leaned precariously as the glue loosened in the dowels.

From The New Yorker ● Jan. 6, 2020

Made of solid and veneered ash with no screws or nails, it comes in a light-toned natural finish and the black-stained version pictured here.

From New York Times ● Sep. 13, 2019

Many are betting it's the businessman in the race, even if he's a brash real estate mogul from New York whose chief previous contact with lumber was the veneered reception desks in his swank hotels.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 2, 2016

Satisfied, he takes a sealed envelope from the black gym bag on the floor and lays it across the veneered pressboard desk, making sure it’s straight.

From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed

A renovation in 2000 had tried to make the still-open parts of the site more traditionally Moroccan, veneering the concrete with green tile and carved wooden panels.

From New York Times ● Oct. 1, 2019

Saco and his team of highly skilled artisans perform a wide range of museum-quality work, from the simplest cosmetic touch-ups and refinishing to caning, inlay, veneering, upholstery and recreation of missing parts.

From Washington Times ● Jan. 22, 2015

We have one man in veneering and we used to have three.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2012

At first a supporter of Woodrow Wilson, he grew scornful of the President's caution, eventually warned his readers: "Beneath the veneering of scholarly polish lies the coiled serpent of unscrupulous ambition."

From Time Magazine Archive

He became attentive, and with a veneering of the usages of polite society managed to fascinate the farmer's daughter.

From The Mysterious Murder of Pearl Bryan or: the Headless Horror. by Unknown

Related Words

• coating
• exterior
• facade
• gloss
• layer
• mask
• semblance