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Glite Dictionary
🪵 A shiny varnish 🪵 To varnish
to shellac

to shellac

1 7.8
Cover something with a shiny protective finish made from a natural hard substance
  • verb
  • /ʃəˈlæk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : barnizar
  • Anyone who lived in a white neighborhood had a love/hate relationship with Aqua Net, the only hairspray that could effectively shellac the hair in place all day so you could look like all your "Becky" friends.

Examples

  • We're meant to shellac our lips with five different glosses, but always think we're fat.

    Blog text (15)

  • USC is going to shellac those pretenders this weekend (more on that later).

    Blog text (28)

  • And they didn't shellac em'.

    Tyler Perry's A Madea Homecoming (2022)

  • "When he found out what you'd done, I thought he was going to shellac your behind, but good.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Figured he'd shellac the toilet seat, make it look prettier.

    Stronger (2017)

  • I just wanna know who shellacs his friggin’ hair.

    Sharky's Machine (1981)

  • To protect the wooden table, she decided to shellac it for a glossy finish.

  • After sanding the surface, he carefully shellaced the model to enhance its appearance.

  • They plan to shellac the cabinets to give them a shiny and protective coating.

Synonyms

to coat
vsto shellac
105 2.8

To cover something with a thin layer of a substance

uses a specific resin layer aimed at protection and shine rather than any layer
to wax
vsto shellac
62 3.8

Cover something with wax to protect and make it shine

creates a harder protective glossy film rather than a soft polish layer
to surface
vsto shellac
15 4.3

To cover something with a new outer layer

uses a resin-based finish intended specifically for protective shine rather than general layering
to lacquer
vsto shellac
8 6.4

To cover something with a hard shiny coating to protect it and make it shine

uses a specific resin finish that especially gives protective shine
to varnish
vsto shellac
5 4.2

To put a clear hard shiny layer on wood to protect it and make it shine

uses a resin finish aimed especially at adding shine
to enamel
vsto shellac
3 6.5

To cover a surface with a hard shiny layer for protection or decoration

uses a resin finish to protect and shine rather than a fused glassy coating
to shellack
vsto shellac
  • Specialized
1 8.7

To cover wood or furniture with a thin shiny finish for protection

is the more common modern spelling with identical meaning
to silk
vsto shellac
1 9.3

To cover something with a smooth shiny cloth made from silkworm thread

produces a hard protective glossy finish rather than a soft fabric feel
to japan
vsto shellac
  • Archaic
9.9

To cover an object with a hard shiny coating in a Japanese style

uses a specific resin finish rather than a regionally styled coating

Antonyms

to strip
  • Specialized
15 6.3

Remove a substance or part from material like soil

Compounds

French polish shellac
  • Specialized
8.6

A shiny wood finish you make by mixing shellac with alcohol

shellac varnish
  • Specialized
8.3

A thin clear or colored coating made from shellac and alcohol to protect and shine wood

shellac wax
  • Specialized
8.9

A hard natural wax removed from shellac and used in polishes and cosmetics

How Coated

to varnish
5 4.2
to shellac
  • Specialized
1 7.8
to coat
105 2.8
to brush
242 1.0
to dab
11 2.8

Surface Forms

shellac infinitive
shellacked past
shellacked past participle
shellacking present participle
shellacs third person singular

Etymology

To shellac comes from the same shell + lac idea, because it uses the shiny insect resin lac that often formed shell-like pieces. So to shellac something is to cover it with that glossy, protective finish.