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Glite Dictionary
🥇 To cover with gold ✨ To make look better
to regild

to regild

8.3
To make something look more attractive or valuable again, often to hide faults
  • verb
  • /rɪˈɡɪld/
translation icon : embellecer
  • To enhance the appearance of the trophy, they chose to regild it before the awards ceremony.

Examples

  • After years of wear, the sculptor was eager to regild the statue, restoring its former glory.

  • The family decided to regild the old picture frame to make it look more elegant in their living room.

  • It needs some repairs and it's going to get some repairs quite soon, partly because it needs regilding at regular intense.

  • We can do what we want with it, but it is a form ever reusable, ever willing to be refurbished, retouched, regilded, and revealed." (2)

    Academic text (2013)

  • It is a container ever reusable, ever willing to be refurbished, retouched, regilded, and reobjectified (15).

    Academic text (2013)

Synonyms

to refurbish
vsto regild
31 4.6

To make something clean and like new by fixing or decorating it

focuses on surface decoration or praise rather than doing thorough repairs
to reface
vsto regild
1 6.7

To put new material on the surface of something so it looks new

relies on decorative or praising changes to hide faults instead of true repair
to revarnish
vsto regild
7.4

To make a reputation or image look better by hiding problems

uses decoration or praise to make things look better while hiding faults
to repolish
vsto regild
3.3

Make a surface shine again by rubbing it

focuses on surface decoration or praise to hide faults rather than repair
to replate
vsto regild
  • Specialized
8.3

Cover an object again with a thin metal layer to make it look new

prefers decorative covering and praise to mask faults instead of fixing them
to reglaze
vsto regild
  • Specialized
6.7

To put a new shiny layer on a bowl or bathtub to make it look new

uses surface decoration or praise to conceal faults rather than repair underlying issues
to furbish up
vsto regild
  • Archaic
6.2

To make something old look new by fixing or cleaning it

aims to cover faults with decoration or praise rather than full restoration
restyle
vsto regild
4.5

A change to the style or look of something, for example a car

makes things seem better through decoration or praise rather than deep repair

Antonyms

to diminish
201 3.7

To become less in size, importance, or value

How Attractive

to refurbish
31 4.6
to gild
5 7.0
to regild
8.3
to spruce up
  • Informal
13 3.8
to touch up
8 3.8
to clean
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

regild infinitive
regilded past
regilded past participle
regilding present participle
regilds third person singular

Morphology

regild = gild (semi-transparent) = re + gild

Formally 're-' + 'gild' is clear, but the sense here is metaphorical ('make seem more attractive or valuable'), so the semantic mapping is indirect.

Etymology

Regild comes from re- 'again' and gild 'to cover with gold'. That's why regild can also mean 'make something look more attractive or valuable again', as when people add decoration or praise to hide faults and give a fresh, richer look.