gilded
Coated in gold
Gilded means covered with a thin layer of gold or gold-colored material: a gilded frame, gilded lettering on the spine.
The word often carries connotations of superficial splendor—beautiful on the surface but possibly hollow underneath.
The Gilded Age refers to late 19th-century America, when industrial wealth masked social problems.
To gild the lily is to add unnecessary ornamentation to something already beautiful.
Abundant beyond necessity
- sumptuousSplendidly rich and costly
- luxuriousMarked by costly elegance
- extravagantExceeding sensible bounds
- palatialLavishly grand and spacious
magnificent · grandiose · splendid · decadent · ostentatious · posh · ritzy · swanky
Made more visually appealing
- adornedMade ornamental
- embellishedDecorated or exaggerated
- embossedHaving raised design
- engravedCut into surface
inlaid · filigree · scrollwork · baroque · rococo · arabesque · fretwork · carved
Lacking depth or substance
- hollowEmpty within
- falseNot matching reality
- veneerDecorative outer layer
- facadeDeceptive outward appearance
pretense · illusory · misleading · deceptive · tarnished · corrupted · counterfeit · sham
Shining with small flashes
- gleamingReflecting light brightly
- shimmeringGleaming with wavering light
- sparklingEmitting small bright flashes
- radiantEmitting light or joy
lustrous · shining · glinting · resplendent · dazzling · glowing · brilliant · luminous
Coated with metal
- electroplatedElectrically deposited metal coating
- overlaidCovered by placing above
- leafedTurned pages quickly
- coveredHaving protection atop
layered · burnished · bronzed · silvered · chromed · enameled · anodized · buffed
Having abundant financial resources
- affluentHaving abundant financial resources
- prosperousEnjoying wealth and success
- moneyedHaving substantial wealth
- aristocraticOf hereditary nobility
elite · noble · patrician · plutocratic · upper-class · blue-blooded · landed · titled
lavish
Abundant beyond necessity
- sumptuousSplendidly rich and costly
- luxuriousMarked by costly elegance
- extravagantExceeding sensible bounds
palatial · magnificent · grandiose · splendid · decadent · ostentatious · posh · ritzy · swanky · elegant
decorated
Made more visually appealing
- adornedMade ornamental
- embellishedDecorated or exaggerated
- embossedHaving raised design
engraved · inlaid · filigree · scrollwork · baroque · rococo · arabesque · fretwork · carved · intricate
superficial
Lacking depth or substance
facade · pretense · illusory · misleading · deceptive · tarnished · corrupted · counterfeit · sham · tinsel
glittering
Shining with small flashes
- gleamingReflecting light brightly
- shimmeringGleaming with wavering light
- sparklingEmitting small bright flashes
radiant · lustrous · shining · glinting · resplendent · dazzling · glowing · brilliant · luminous · iridescent
plated
Coated with metal
- electroplatedElectrically deposited metal coating
- overlaidCovered by placing above
- leafedTurned pages quickly
covered · layered · burnished · bronzed · silvered · chromed · enameled · anodized · buffed · polished
wealthy
Having abundant financial resources
- affluentHaving abundant financial resources
- prosperousEnjoying wealth and success
- moneyedHaving substantial wealth
aristocratic · elite · noble · patrician · plutocratic · upper-class · blue-blooded · landed · titled · bourgeois
- salonsliterary salon, hostess, hostesses, drawing room, drawing rooms
- craftsmanshiphandcrafted, craft, handiwork, stitching, welding
- decoratedadorned, bedecked, decorated, embellished, festooned
- finishespainted, polished, varnish, paint, matte silver
- jewelry termsdiamond, ruby, silver, pearl, emerald
- luxuryluxury, wealth, luxurious, opulent, opulence
- gilded framesGold-coated picture enclosures
- gilded cageLuxurious confinement lacking liberty
- gilding the lilyEmbellishing the already beautiful
- gild the lilyEmbellish what's already perfect
- gilded ageFlashy era hiding corruption
- gilded the lilyEmbellished something already beautiful
gild, gilded age, gilding, gilds, gilder, gilders, gilded cage