burnish

1 of 2

verb

bur·​nish ˈbər-nish 

burnished; burnishing; burnishes

transitive verb

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

burnish

2 of 2

noun

: luster, gloss

Synonyms

Verb

• buff
• dress
• furbish
• gloss
• grind
• polish
• rub
• shine
• smooth
• smoothen

Noun

• gloss
• luminance
• luster
• lustre
• polish
• sheen
• shine

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

Verb

By the late 1990s, the brainy student had reinvented himself as a courageous pastor in Peru, burnishing his credentials in the order. —Mitra Taj, New York Times, 17 May 2025

Installers have the ability to burnish (or polish) each layer to create more shine, so the overall finish is almost completely customizable. —Lauren Bengtson, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 May 2025

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

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English burnischen, from Anglo-French burniss-, stem of burnir, alteration of Old French brunir, literally, to make brown, from brun

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1646, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for burnish

• furnish

Kids Definition

burnish

verb

bur·​nish

ˈbər-nish

: to make shiny especially by rubbing : polish

burnisher noun