put lipstick on a pig

verb

To superficially alter something in the hope of making it seem more appealing than it is in actuality.

“Near-synonyms: polish a turd, sugarcoat the pill”

Similar
polish a turdsugarcoat the pill
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Meanings

verbput lipstick on a pig (third-person singular simple present puts lipstick on a pig, present participle putting lipstick on a pig, simple past and past participle put lipstick on a pig)

present singular third person puts lipstick on a pig · participle present putting lipstick on a pig

  1. idiomaticslangTo superficially alter something in the hope of making it seem more appealing than it is in actuality.

    Near-synonyms: polish a turd, sugarcoat the pill

    2 more examples

    That new box is like putting lipstick on a pig. It's still the same buggy program inside.

    Fran Healy, Mets announcer and former Giants catcher (about the possibility of putting a dome on Candlestick): "It would be like putting lipstick on a pig."

    1987, Warner Fusselle, Baseball...a Laughing Matter!, page 183

    Synonyms: polish a turd, sugarcoat the pill

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo superficially alter something in the hope of making it seem more appealing than it is in actuality.

Similar
polish a turdsugarcoat the pill
Also see
polish a turdsugarcoat the pill

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 屎盆子鑲金邊 /屎盆子镶金边
  • 屎盆子鑲金邊 /屎盆子镶金边to superficially alter something — see also you can't make a silk purse of a sow's ear
Finnish kaunistella, laittaa huulipunaa possulle
  • kaunistellato superficially alter something — see also you can't make a silk purse of a sow's ear
  • laittaa huulipunaa possulleto superficially alter something — see also you can't make a silk purse of a sow's ear
Hebrew נזם זהב באף חזיר
  • נזם זהב באף חזירto superficially alter something — see also you can't make a silk purse of a sow's ear
Polish czynić coś brzydkiego pozornie pięknym, uczynić coś brzydkiego pozornie pięknym
  • czynić coś brzydkiego pozornie pięknymto superficially alter something — see also you can't make a silk purse of a sow's ear
  • uczynić coś brzydkiego pozornie pięknymto superficially alter something — see also you can't make a silk purse of a sow's ear
Swedish sminka en gris
  • sminka en gristo superficially alter something — see also you can't make a silk purse of a sow's ear
Cite this entry
APA

put lipstick on a pig. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20lipstick%20on%20a%20pig

MLA

“put lipstick on a pig.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20lipstick%20on%20a%20pig. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “put lipstick on a pig,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20lipstick%20on%20a%20pig.

Source: put lipstick on a pig on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.