as in polishing
to make smooth or glossy usually by repeatedly applying surface pressure
burnished the floor of the ballroom to a soft luster
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of burnishing
Sharon details how this squad helps Anthropic’s business, too, burnishing its reputation as the AI lab that cares the most about AI safety and perhaps winning it a more receptive ear in the corridors of power.
—
Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
Daniella Pierson has cozied up to everyone from Diane von Furstenberg to Selena Gomez, burnishing her image as her businesses unraveled.
—Monica Hunter-Hart, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
Daniella Pierson has cozied up to everyone from Diane von Furstenberg to Selena Gomez, burnishing her image as her businesses unraveled.
—Monica Hunter-Hart, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for burnishing
Verb
-
This is why authorities at the National Park Service, which maintains the statue, have repeatedly rejected any notion of polishing away the green covering.—
Theo Burman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Silver Centerpieces For anyone who's ever gotten stuck polishing silver, there's good news.—
Heather Bien,
Southern Living,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Wipe dust from hardware, lightly rubbing visibly dirty spots.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The sports star shared another full-length shot of the couple — who currently reside in Oslo — with their arms around each other on the same white sands, while a third closer-up image showed the couple smiling and rubbing noses.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The handle twists at a 90-degree angle to become a high-speed hair dryer, but locked into its upright position, the device converts into a self-winding curling iron, a frizz-smoothing paddle brush, and a volume-building oval brush.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Offset spatula This decorating tool is a skinny, rectangular spatula used to assist in smoothing icing, which will give your cake a polished finish.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Burnishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burnishing. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share