gilded

adjective

gild·​ed ˈgil-dəd How to pronounce gilded (audio)
Synonyms of gilded
1
: covered or tinged with gold or a golden color
gilded icons
The reception room, just off the entryway, features colorful wall and ceiling decorations and a gilded overmantel mirror and matching cornices.—Stephen May
2
: having a background of wealth and luxury : prosperous, luxurious
Emily Post was raised among New York's gilded elite.—Susan Berfield
… despite the upper-crust background and the gilded résumé, Bonham Carter is a pretty modern chick off stage.—Elizabeth Gleick

Examples of gilded in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
She was made of gilded plaster. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 15 June 2026 And loyalty became a gilded cage. — Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 5 Apr. 2026 But what appeared at the time as an act of total randomness actually spoke to a wider sense of release for a 20-something who had grown tired of his gilded cage. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2026 From gilded Love is Blind goblets to menacing Squid Game guards, the space is engineered for photo ops. — Kate Springer, Time, 12 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for gilded

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of gild entry 1

First Known Use

1540, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of gilded was in 1540

Rhymes for gilded

See All Rhymes for gilded

Browse Nearby Words

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gilded
gilded flicker
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Cite this Entry

“Gilded.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gilded. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on gilded

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for gilded

Nglish: Translation of gilded for Spanish Speakers

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