gilded
/ˈɡɪldɪd/
gilded is the simple past and past participle of gild.
Adjective
gilded (comparative more gilded, superlative most gilded)
- Having the color or quality of gold.
- Made of gold or covered by a thin layer of gold.
- There wasn't a room that had not been clad, picture-railed, dadoed, panelled, stained, gilded, bordered and generally made over to within an inch of its life - can I interest anyone in a gold cherubic sconce?2000 September 23, Michele Jenkinson, “West Country Living: My blind date with my new home”, in The Daily Telegraph, London: Telegraph Media Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 28 Mar...
- Having a falsely pleasant appearance; sugarcoated.
- All that glisters is not gold;
Often have you heard that told:
Many a man his life hath sold
But my outside to behold:
Gilded tombs do worms infold.
Had you been as wise as bold,
Young in limbs, in judgement old,
Your answer had not been inscroll'd:
Fare you well; your suit is cold.c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
- All that glisters is not gold;
Meaning of gild
Verb
gild (third-person singular simple present gilds, present participle gilding, simple past and past participle gilded or gilt)
- To cover with a thin layer of gold; to cover with gold leaf.
- High above the city, on a tall column, stood the statue of the Happy Prince. He was gilded all over with thin leaves of fine gold, for eyes he had two bright sapphires, and a large red ruby glowed on his sword-hilt.1888 May, Oscar Wilde, “The Happy Prince”, in The Happy Prince and Other Tales, London: David Nutt, […], →OCLC, page 1
- To adorn.
- I will make fast the doors, and gild myself
With some more ducats, and be with you straight.c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
- I will make fast the doors, and gild myself
- To decorate with a golden surface appearance.
- Gild the entire outside with beaten egg yolk, and sprinkle it with grated parmesan.2008, Ivan P. Day, Cooking in Europe, 1650-1850, page 98
- To give a bright or pleasing aspect to.
- When sparkling stars twire not, thou gild'st the even.1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 28”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC
- To give a brilliant colour or flush to one's face; (also) to make appear drunk.
- [Alonso] And Trinculo is reeling-ripe: vvhere sſhould they
Finde this grand Liquor that hath gilded'em?
Hovv cam'ſt thou in this pickle?1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published...
- [Alonso] And Trinculo is reeling-ripe: vvhere sſhould they
Forms of gilded
| comparative | more gilded |
|---|---|
| superlative | most gilded |
Origin of gilded
From gild + -ed.
Words formed from gilded
Phrases with gilded
Questions about gilded
- What does gilded mean?
- Gilded means having the color or quality of gold.
- What is gilded the simple past and past participle of?
- Gilded is the simple past and past participle of gild.
- What part of speech is gilded?
- Gilded is an adjective.
- How do you pronounce gilded?
- Gilded is pronounced /ˈɡɪldɪd/.
Words near gilded in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: gilded (page history and authors); gild (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-gilded-adj.ogg.
Cite this entry: “gilded.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/gilded. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.