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golden

golden

304 1.8
A very successful or lucky time in a person's life
  • adjective
  • /ˈɡoʊldən/
: de oro
  • We are living in a golden age, Jem.
  • a golden opportunity
  • the golden rule
  • a golden age

And he had just, he was kind of like this Golden Boy in Sweden.

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Examples

  • Receiving the award was a golden moment in her career, signifying years of hard work.

  • Ray, this is supposed to be our golden years.

  • Always remember the golden rule.

  • This is your golden year.

  • 1924 to 1929 has been regarded as the golden years of the Black Metropolis.

    Academic text (1999)
  • If the 1950s were Copacabana's golden years, the 1960s belonged to Ipanema.

    Academic text (2012)
  • To Evelyn, the flood demarcated a golden age of salads and longevity.

    Academic text (2011)
  • This scholarship represents a golden opportunity for students to further their education.

  • They celebrated their tenth anniversary, marking a golden milestone in their marriage.

Synonyms

lucky
vsgolden
∞ 1.0

Having good things happen by chance

emphasizes inherent quality and promise rather than chance
fortunate
vsgolden
306 1.8

Being lucky in a situation

stresses excellence or value rather than only being lucky
glorious
vsgolden
271 3.6

Very beautiful and impressive in a way that makes people admire it

focuses more on general excellence and promising value rather than beauty
marvelous
vsgolden
  • US
215 1.8

Very good and surprising in a way that pleases people

is less about surprise and more about promise or value
favorable
vsgolden
  • US
73 3.1

Giving an advantage that makes success more likely

is about overall excellence and promise rather than mere advantage
shining
vsgolden
38 3.7

Very good in a way that people admire

is broader, adding value, promise, and good fortune
halcyon
vsgolden
  • Literature
5 9.6

Calm and peaceful, often describing a happy time in the past

focuses on being excellent, valuable, or promising now rather than nostalgic peace
prosperous
vsgolden
  • Archaic
3 5.1

A good sign that things will go well

is broader, meaning also excellent, valuable, or special

Antonyms

428 1.2

Not lucky or causing a bad result

273 3.0

Has no value or use

Idioms

To destroy a steady source of income by greedy short-term choices

Give up what is right to get money or power

Not speaking is often better than saying things you do not need to say

Compounds

45 4.1

A time when a country, the arts, or a person has great success

39 2.6

A narrow sea passage that connects San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean

A large bright red suspension bridge in San Francisco that crosses the entrance to the bay

A large friendly dog with long golden fur often kept as a family pet

A rare chance to do something important

18 3.2

A warm brown color that has a golden shine

golden years
  • Informal
17 3.7

A time after you stop working for rest and enjoyment

15 3.5

A popular nickname for the state of California from the Gold Rush

15 3.3

A basic idea people always follow in a particular job or activity

golden ticket
  • Informal
14 4.1

A special chance that gives a person an easy way to succeed

Golden State
  • Literature
14 3.3

A professional NBA basketball team from California called the Warriors

golden goose
  • Informal
12 4.4

A thing or business that keeps making a lot of money

9 3.7

Treat other people as you want them to treat you

golden parachute
  • Specialized
7 6.8

A large payment to a top manager when they leave after a takeover

5 3.8

A popular song from the past that people still like

4 4.9

A time when a country, art, or culture reaches great success and happiness

4 8.1

Something that people value too much, often money or things

Golden Fleece
  • Literature
3 9.9

The golden wool from a ram that Jason and his crew sought in Colchis

3 3.7

A large bird of prey with a golden-brown head and neck that lives in northern mountains

golden touch
  • Informal
2 5.2

A skill for making projects succeed easily

A sweet yellow apple with a crisp texture and mild flavor

2 6.0

A tall garden plant with many large yellow flowers

A warm yellow color like gold

A celebration of a 50th anniversary for a marriage or an organization

golden section
  • Specialized
1 7.5

A special way to divide a line or shape so the parts follow a fixed proportion often used in art

golden star
  • Specialized
1 9.0

A plant with long narrow leaves and bright orange-yellow flowers that grows in dry open places in California

A medium sized wild dog with golden yellow fur that lives in Europe and Asia

Money that a company pays an employee when they leave, often to encourage early retirement

1 3.4

A thick light brown syrup made from sugar for cakes and pancakes

golden mean
  • Specialized
1 8.1

A special ratio where the small part to the big part equals the big part to the whole

The 50th anniversary of a marriage, celebrated as a major milestone

golden ager
  • Archaic
1 6.8

A person who is older and usually retired

1 3.9

A period of public holidays in Japan in late April and early May when many people travel

1 7.6

A moderate choice between two extremes in how you act or decide

1 7.9

A brightly colored bird with feathers on its head whose male has red and gold feathers

1 7.0

A small songbird with a yellow throat from the Americas

golden seal
  • Specialized
1 8.4

A plant with a thick yellow root used in herbal medicine

1 4.3

Green with a yellow or gold tint

1 9.1

A low plant that lives for many years in woods with three-part leaves, yellow roots and white flowers

1 7.4

A small tree with hanging clusters of yellow flowers often used in gardens and for Easter decorations

1 9.9

A Mongol army that invaded and ruled parts of eastern Europe and Russia in the 1200s and 1300s

golden ear
  • Jargon
1 8.7

Someone who can hear very small differences in sounds or musical notes

golden mole
  • South African
1 9.2

A small animal from southern Africa that lives underground and has shiny fur

An evergreen climbing plant with green leaves streaked with yellow

1 9.1

A Chinese tree like a larch with bright yellow leaves in autumn

golden stars
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A plant from California with grasslike leaves and bright orange flowers

1 8.8

A marsh plant that has blue-green leaves and a club-shaped yellow flower spike

A medium-sized water bird with golden yellow spots on its back

golden shiner
  • Specialized
1 8.6

A small freshwater fish with golden scales often used as bait

golden marguerite
  • Specialized
1 8.9

A garden plant with bright yellow daisy-like flowers that lives many years

A climbing evergreen plant with shiny leaves and large yellow flowers used in gardens

A small light brown pet animal that people keep in a cage

1 2.5

To treat other people the way you want them to treat you

A yellow apple that ripens in late autumn and is usually eaten raw

golden algae
  • Specialized
1 6.9

Very small living things in water that look golden because of their colored parts

golden saxifrage
  • Specialized
1 9.6

A low plant that grows in wet places with small yellow-green flowers

A large round cactus with golden spines and pale yellow flowers often grown in gardens

1 8.2

A small tree or bush with long clusters of bright yellow flowers

1 7.5

A North American plant with bright yellow flowers like a daisy

1 9.1

A wild plant with golden-yellow flowers that often grows like a weed

A tree with grey leaves and bright yellow twigs used for making baskets

golden wattle
  • Australian
1 8.0

A small Australian tree with bright yellow, fragrant flowers often grown in gardens

1 9.9

A spiny Mediterranean plant with bright yellow flower heads

golden gram
  • Indian
1 7.1

A small green seed from the mung bean plant that is eaten or sprouted

1 9.4

A fern from warm places with golden leaves that people grow for decoration

1 9.9

A plant from Mexico with bright yellow cup-shaped flowers and blue-grey divided leaves

golden duck
  • Jargon
1 9.0

Being out for zero runs on the first ball a batsman faces in cricket

1 9.6

A North American plant that stays green all year and has small yellow flowers

1 7.5

A bright yellow songbird with black wings that lives in Europe and North Africa

1 8.5

A plant that lives for many years with grey woolly leaves and golden-yellow flowers

little golden zinnia
  • Specialized
1 9.6

A small low plant with short leafy stems and small round yellow orange flowers

A fern with large, deeply divided leaves that often grows on rocks or indoors

1 7.3

A bushy plant with bright yellow, pea-shaped flowers from western United States

How Valuable

golden
304 1.8
great
∞ 1.0
good
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

golden positive

Morphology

golden = gold (semi-transparent) = gold + en

The figurative sense 'very good/valuable' is a metaphorical extension from 'gold' and may not be fully predictable to all learners.

Etymology

Golden comes from the old word gold, the most valued metal, so it is used to mean 'very good', 'valuable', or 'fortunate', as in a 'gold medal' for first place or someone's 'golden' years.