gilding the lily

A form of gild the lily — To embellish or improve something unnecessarily.

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Meanings

verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of gild the lily
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: gilding the lily on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.