polish
7
3.7
- noun
- /ˈpɑːlɪʃ/
:
brillo
- The blond wood shines with a high polish inlaid with streaks of light.
- gleamed with polish
- spit and polish
Examples
-
Here, sterling bowls, graded to nest, so shiny with polish they sang.
Fiction book (1993) -
Give the floors a proper polish.
-
With some spit and polish, I really do think we could fix it up.
-
Yeah, a little spit and polish, you can clean this up, sell it next year.
-
I can picture clear polish on her perfect oval fingernails, blue veins glowing underneath translucent skin.
Fiction book (1998) -
When Mara first glimpsed its breathtaking polish and engravings, she panicked.
Blog text (26) -
The antique table had a beautiful polish that highlighted its rich wood grain.
-
After applying the polish, the surface became smooth and glossy.
-
The artist admired the polish of the sculpture, which gave it a striking finish.
Synonyms
48
4.2
A soft, smooth shine on a surface that looks healthy or attractive
46
3.9
A protective or decorative layer on a surface
24
3.8
A smooth shiny appearance on a surface
1
3.3
An even, flat surface that has no rough or bumpy parts
1
4.4
A neat, elegant appearance that shows attention to detail
1
4.1
A smooth, shiny surface that reflects light
1
2.0
How bright and smooth a surface is when it sends back light
A very shiny smooth surface that reflects light brightly
A smooth, shiny surface like silk that feels pleasant to touch
A smooth, shiny look on skin or other surfaces like a candle
A smooth, shiny, brittle look or feel like glass
A smooth, shiny surface created by polishing
A neat, smooth appearance that seems expensive
How much a surface reflects light and looks shiny
Antonyms
Idioms
- Offensive
You cannot make something very bad look good no matter how much you try
Compounds
40
1.8
A colored or clear paint you put on fingernails and toenails to give them color and shine
- Specialized
A very shiny finish you make on wood by rubbing on thin coats of shellac mixed with alcohol
- Specialized
A way to write math with numbers before the sign so no parentheses
- Slur
A confused, badly organized practice for leaving a building in an emergency
- Specialized
A way of writing math expressions without parentheses where a math sign like + or − comes before the numbers
The group in Poland that makes laws and has two houses, the Sejm and the Senate
How Glossy
Surface Forms
Etymology
Polish comes from the Latin polire 'to smooth'. Think of rubbing wood or stone until it becomes smooth and shiny, and that 'smooth, glossy' look is why we call that quality 'polish'.