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to feather

to feather

1 6.7
To make an edge soft so it blends into the background
  • verb
  • /ˈfɛðər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : difuminar
  • I'm just going to feather the edges of that a little bit like she did.
  • feather the edges

So now we're just going to feather it out.

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Examples

  • So let's just feather it up so we can kind of see what we're working with here.

  • So I'm going to take a little bit on my brush, not too much, and then just use that to feather out that brown.

  • I'm just going to add a brown that much in the center and then feather the outskirts.

  • Go along the brow and just, like, feather upwards.

  • In graphic design, you might want to feather the edges of an image to create a smooth transition into the background.

  • To achieve a soft effect in your painting, remember to feather the edges with a light touch of your brush.

  • When you feather the selection in photo editing software, it blends the edges, making the cutout look more natural.

Idioms

4 6.3

An achievement you can be proud of

To be so surprised that you almost cannot react

1 8.3

Use a job or position to get money for yourself in a dishonest way

People who share similar interests often spend time together

in full feather
  • Archaic
9.2

Wearing bright feathers or the best clothes and looking proud

Phrasal Verbs

to tar-and-feather
  • Offensive
1 9.9

Cover someone with hot sticky tar and then feathers to punish and shame them publicly

Compounds

4 2.4

A feather that grows on a bird's tail

3 4.4

A long fluffy scarf made of feathers worn to look glamorous or to finish a costume

2 3.9

A soft mattress filled with feathers to keep you warm while sleeping

1 9.9

A tall garden plant with long colorful flower spikes

1 3.2

A very soft feather under a bird's outer feathers that keeps the bird warm

flight feather
  • Specialized
1 4.5

A large stiff feather on a bird's wing or tail that helps it fly

primary feather
  • Specialized
1 5.2

A long part of a bird's wing at the outer edge that helps the bird fly

white feather
  • Offensive
1 9.5

A small white piece from a bird that people give to show someone is a coward

contour feather
  • Specialized
8.2

A feather that covers a bird's body and forms its smooth outer shape

A palm tree with long leaves divided into many thin parts like a bird's wing

A tall garden grass with feathery flower spikes used for decoration

feather star
  • Specialized
9.9

A sea animal with many feathery arms that can swim and lives on the sea floor

feather-brain
  • Offensive
9.1

A person who often forgets things and acts silly

8.5

A silly idea that shows little thought

9.9

A small round cactus with white feathery spines from northern Mexico

A small plant with a pleasant smell, oak-shaped leaves, and groups of yellow-green flowers

A small water plant with thin leaves that look like feathers

9.9

A plant with tall spikes of small purple flowers that attract butterflies

9.9

A New Zealand fern with divided leaves and very hairy stalks

A yearly garden plant with long hanging red flower spikes

A long stiff part of a bird's wing once used for writing

saddle feather
  • Specialized
8.9

A long narrow feather on the back of a chicken near its tail

A coral that grows in feathery groups on warm ocean reefs

A long curved tail feather on a rooster that looks decorative

How Smooth

smooth
1 5.8
to feather
  • Specialized
1 6.7
to blend
255 2.3

Surface Forms

feather infinitive
feathered past
feathered past participle
feathering present participle
feathers third person singular

Etymology

To feather an edge in art uses the image of a soft feather — a helpful way to remember it is that you make the border soft and light so it blends, like the soft ends of bird feathers.