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metallic

metallic

85 4.3
Having the look or sound of a hard, shiny material used for coins
  • adjective
  • /məˈtælɪk/
translation icon : metálico
  • The artist used a metallic paint to create a shimmering effect on the sculpture.
  • metallic blue
  • metallic material
  • metallic mercury

Slow drips and light shower, flat metallic sky and sombre limbs.

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Examples

  • This is a deck of metallic playing cards.

  • The sound is getting heavier, harder, more metallic as time goes on.

  • I love this metallic green that is so cool.

  • Look at how cool this metallic material is.

  • It's like a rose metallic type of color.

  • It's got sort of this metallic shininess to it.

  • It's kind of a nice metallic cobalt blue shade.

  • Suddenly, a strange sound can be heard in the distance, a metallic humming, growing louder.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Across the ski suit was a silver metallic slash from chest to knee.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • I'm using the Fenty Beauty metallic powder as a highlighter.

Synonyms

metallic-looking
vsmetallic
1 4.7

Shiny in a way that makes something look like metal

can also mean made of that material or resembling its sound
metallike
vsmetallic
6.8

Having the look or feel of metal

includes being actually made of that material or sounding like it
metalline
vsmetallic
7.7

Having a shiny surface like metal

also covers being composed of that material or producing similar sounds
metal-looking
vsmetallic
5.2

An object that looks like metal because of its color or shine

includes physical composition and auditory likeness beyond mere appearance
metal-colored
vsmetallic
4.0

Having a shiny color like silver or gold

also covers being made from that material or sounding like it
metallic-colored
vsmetallic
5.5

A shiny color like metal, for example silver or gold

can mean actual material or its sound as well as appearance

Antonyms

1 5.2

Not made of metal, not shiny, and does not carry electricity well

Compounds

metallic element
  • Specialized
1 4.2

A natural substance, usually shiny, that lets electricity pass through it and can be shaped into sheets or wires

Shiny in a way that makes something look like metal

metallic bond
  • Specialized
6.5

Metal atoms share electrons so the metal conducts electricity, bends easily, and looks shiny

A shiny color like metal, for example silver or gold

How Metallic

brassy
2 5.5
metallic
85 4.3
nonmetallic
1 5.2

Surface Forms

metallic positive

Morphology

metallic = metal (transparent) = metal + ic

The adjective is directly formed from the noun 'metal' with the productive suffix '-ic' meaning 'of or relating to', so the meaning is predictable.

Etymology

Metallic comes from the word metal, which means 'hard, shiny material like iron or gold', and the ending -ic, which means 'like' or 'related to'. So something metallic is made of metal or looks or sounds like metal.