gild the pill

verb

Synonym of sugarcoat the pill.

Similar
sugarcoat the pill
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Meanings

verbgild the pill (third-person singular simple present gilds the pill, present participle gilding the pill, simple past and past participle gilded the pill)

present singular third person gilds the pill · participle present gilding the pill · participle past gilded the pill · past gilded the pill

  1. Synonym of sugarcoat the pill.

    The chemists who first gilded the pill now sit on the Front Opposition Bench.

    1891 May 8, Mr. Goschen, “Purchase of Land, &c.”, in parliamentary debates (House of Commons)
    1 more example

    For he who'd make his fellow-creatures wise / Should always gild the philosophic pill!

    1888, W[illiam] S[chwenck] Gilbert, Arthur Sullivan, composer, The Yeomen of the Guard […] , London: Chappel & Co., […], published c. 1911, page 17

    Synonyms: sugarcoat the pill

Synonyms & antonyms

verbSynonym of sugarcoat the pill.

Similar
sugarcoat the pill
Also see
sugarcoatsugarcoat the pill

Origin

Supposedly from an old pharmaceutical practice of coating bitter tasting pills with a thin layer of metal (see bitter pill).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish kaunistella
  • kaunistellato make something unappealing look more attractive — see also sugarcoat
French dorer la pilule
  • dorer la piluleto make something unappealing look more attractive — see also sugarcoat
Hungarian megédesíti a pirulát
  • megédesíti a pirulátto make something unappealing look more attractive — see also sugarcoat
Italian indorare la pillola
  • indorare la pillolato make something unappealing look more attractive — see also sugarcoat
Polish słodzić, kadzić
  • słodzićto make something unappealing look more attractive — see also sugarcoat
  • kadzićto make something unappealing look more attractive — see also sugarcoat
  • pochlebiaćto make something unappealing look more attractive — see also sugarcoat
  • pochlebićto make something unappealing look more attractive — see also sugarcoat
Portuguese dourar a pílula
  • dourar a pílulato make something unappealing look more attractive — see also sugarcoat
Russian подсласти́ть пилю́лю
  • подсласти́ть пилю́лю (podslastítʹ piljúlju)to make something unappealing look more attractive — see also sugarcoat
Spanish dorar la píldora
  • dorar la píldorato make something unappealing look more attractive — see also sugarcoat
Cite this entry
APA

gild the pill. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gild%20the%20pill

MLA

“gild the pill.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gild%20the%20pill. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gild the pill,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gild%20the%20pill.

Source: gild the pill on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.