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Glite Dictionary
📖 Gold-covered edges 🏅 Top quality
gilt-edged

gilt-edged

7.5
Very high quality and reliable, often used to describe safe investments
  • adjective
  • /ɡɪltˈɛdʒd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : de primera calidad
  • The company specializes in gilt-edged bonds.

Examples

  • Investing in gilt-edged securities is considered very safe.

  • The company only invests in gilt-edged securities to minimize risk.

  • She has gilt-edged credentials for the position, making her the top candidate.

  • The painting was sold at a gilt-edged auction, attracting serious collectors from around the world.

  • The investors preferred gilt-edged securities because they guaranteed a safe return on their capital.

  • Many retirees feel secure by investing in gilt-edged bonds that offer low risk and steady income.

  • Gilt-edged assets are often recommended for conservative investors looking to safeguard their savings.

Synonyms

golden
vsgilt-edged
348 1.8

A very successful or lucky time in a person's life

is specifically about top quality and reliability, often for safe financial securities

Antonyms

risky
269 3.6

Likely to cause loss, harm, or danger

unreliable
71 4.1

Not able to be trusted to work or be right

low quality
13 2.8

Something that is not good or well made

How Safe

gilt-edged
  • Specialized
7.5
risk-free
9 3.5
secure
318 3.2
risky
269 3.6

Surface Forms

gilt-edged positive

Morphology

gilt-edged = gilt + edge (semi-transparent) = gilt + edge + ed

The phrase is derived from the literal 'gilt-edged' but is used metaphorically to mean 'of highest quality/safety'; the relation is recognisable but figurative.

Etymology

Gilt-edged originally meant 'with an edge of gold', and because gold shows value and quality people began to call very safe, top items 'gilt-edged'; that is especially true for bonds and investments that were printed with a gold trim, so the phrase now means 'very safe' or 'high quality'.