Meanings
- participlepastsimple past and past participle of gild
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 2026 - 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] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene vii]
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivebased on pretense; deceptively pleasing
adjectiveostentatiously rich and superior in quality
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Bulgarian злати́ст, зла́тен
- злати́ст (zlatíst)having the color or quality of gold
- зла́тен (zláten)made of gold or covered by a thin layer of gold
- позлате́н (pozlatén)made of gold or covered by a thin layer of gold
- позлатен (pozlaten)having a falsely pleasant appearance; sugarcoated
Chinese Mandarin 鍍金的 /镀金的, 鑲金的 /镶金的
- 鍍金的 /镀金的 (dùjīn)made of gold or covered by a thin layer of gold
- 鑲金的 /镶金的 (xiāngjīn de)made of gold or covered by a thin layer of gold
Czech zlatý, zlatý
- zlatýhaving the color or quality of gold
- zlatýmade of gold or covered by a thin layer of gold
- pozlacenýmade of gold or covered by a thin layer of gold
- zlacenýmade of gold or covered by a thin layer of gold
- pozlátkovýhaving a falsely pleasant appearance; sugarcoated
Danish gylden, forgyldt
- gyldenhaving the color or quality of gold
- forgyldtmade of gold or covered by a thin layer of gold
Dutch gulden
- guldenhaving the color or quality of gold
Finnish kullanvärinen, kullattu
- kullanvärinenhaving the color or quality of gold
- kullattumade of gold or covered by a thin layer of gold
French doré, doré
- doréhaving the color or quality of gold
- dorémade of gold or covered by a thin layer of gold
German vergoldet
- vergoldetmade of gold or covered by a thin layer of gold
Hebrew מוזהב
- מוזהב (muzháv)made of gold or covered by a thin layer of gold
Hungarian aranyozott
- aranyozottmade of gold or covered by a thin layer of gold
Italian dorato
- doratohaving the color or quality of gold
Japanese 金色の
- 金色の (kin'iro no)having the color or quality of gold
Latin aureus, aureus
- aureushaving the color or quality of gold
- aureusmade of gold or covered by a thin layer of gold
Norwegian Bokmål forgylt
- forgyltmade of gold or covered by a thin layer of gold
Polish pozłacany, złocony
- pozłacanyhaving the color or quality of gold
- złoconyhaving the color or quality of gold
Portuguese dourado, áureo
- douradohaving the color or quality of gold
- áureohaving the color or quality of gold
- áureomade of gold or covered by a thin layer of gold
Romanian auriu
- auriuhaving the color or quality of gold
Russian золоти́стый, золото́й
- золоти́стый (zolotístyj)having the color or quality of gold
- золото́й (zolotój)having the color or quality of gold
- позоло́ченный (pozolóčennyj)made of gold or covered by a thin layer of gold
Spanish dorado, áureo
- doradohaving the color or quality of gold
- áureomade of gold or covered by a thin layer of gold
- de oropelhaving a falsely pleasant appearance; sugarcoated
- de relumbrónhaving a falsely pleasant appearance; sugarcoated
Swedish gyllene
- gyllenehaving the color or quality of gold
Ukrainian позоло́чений
- позоло́чений (pozolóčenyj)made of gold or covered by a thin layer of gold
Cite this entry
gilded. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gilded
“gilded.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gilded. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gilded,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gilded.
Source: gilded on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.