burnished
- adjective
- /ˈbɜrnɪʃt/
- The burnished surface of the table reflected the light beautifully.
- burnished, eerie glow
- smooth and burnished
Examples
-
The paler sky was squeezed into place by the heavy frame of the window, and the smoke from the fire had dissolved the stars to a burnished, eerie glow, like a warm soup of stars.
Fiction book (1997) -
"I smiled a little and kissed the top of her burnished red head."
Fiction book (1990) -
And there it is, folks, in all its burnished, sharpened glory!
Blog text (5) -
After several months stretched on its drying board, the vessel was burnished by us in unison.
-
All their faces: burnished, hardened, glowing.
Fiction book (1999) -
The iris is left unpolished, but the pupil is burnished smooth to capture light at the right angle.
-
Finally, there's the burnished, beaming statue, bottom left.
Fiction book (2002) -
Her burnished gold jewelry sparkled in the sunlight.
-
The artist used burnished colors to give the painting a radiant finish.
Synonyms
Full of strong light that makes a place easy to see
Bright and smooth because it reflects light
Having a smooth shiny surface that reflects light like paper or hair
A shiny, smooth surface after being rubbed or cleaned
Shining with a soft, smooth glow like polished pearls
Bright and reflecting light because it is clean or polished
Having a smooth, shiny surface that reflects light
Having a smooth, hard, shiny surface for protection or decoration
A bright shine made when light bounces off a surface
A smooth shiny surface that reflects light
Shining with bright light, often because it is wet or smooth
Having a shiny surface that shows soft changing colors like a pearl
Having a shiny clear layer that protects things like wood or furniture
Having a smooth shiny surface, often on pottery or tiles
Covered with a thin shiny layer to make a smooth surface
Antonyms
How Shiny
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Burnished comes from the old French brunir, which meant 'to make brown' by rubbing metal until it became shiny and is related to the English word brown. So, something burnished is smooth and polished with a bright, shiny surface.