burnished; burnishing; burnishes
1
a
: to make shiny or lustrous especially by rubbing
burnish leather
burnishing his sword
b
: polish sense 3
attempting to burnish her image
2
: to rub (a material) with a tool for compacting or smoothing or for turning an edge
pottery with a smooth burnished surface
burnisher
noun
burnishing
adjective or noun
Synonyms
Examples of burnish in a Sentence
Verb
burnished the floor of the ballroom to a soft luster
Noun
after some much-needed polishing, the silver tea set had a brilliant burnish
Recent Examples on the Web
Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
These sources think there is an unwillingness at MBC to recognize that Desert Warrior is not the feature to burnish Saudi Arabia’s movie-making credentials.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2024
Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2023
In William Faulkner’s Sanctuary, Temple Drake is taken to a brothel by a sinister bootlegger, but our version had no gothic burnish.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 21 Aug. 2022
See all Example Sentences for burnish 
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Verb
Kamala Harris has been recognized as the most influential woman in international security in a prestigious new set of rankings that will burnish her credentials on the world stage just days before America goes to the polls.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
These sources think there is an unwillingness at MBC to recognize that Desert Warrior is not the feature to burnish Saudi Arabia’s movie-making credentials.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2024
Noun
The storytelling has an unfussy classical burnish that feels nicely scaled to its time and place.
—Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2023
In William Faulkner’s Sanctuary, Temple Drake is taken to a brothel by a sinister bootlegger, but our version had no gothic burnish.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 21 Aug. 2022
See all Example Sentences for burnish
Dictionary Entries Near burnish
Cite this Entry
“Burnish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burnish. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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