gilded

adjective

gild·​ed ˈgil-dəd 

1

: covered or tinged with gold or a golden color

gilded icons

The reception room, just off the entryway, features colorful wall and ceiling decorations and a gilded overmantel mirror and matching cornices.

—Stephen May

2

: having a background of wealth and luxury : prosperous, luxurious

Emily Post was raised among New York's gilded elite.

—Susan Berfield

… despite the upper-crust background and the gilded résumé, Bonham Carter is a pretty modern chick off stage.

—Elizabeth Gleick

Examples of gilded in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Falke is partial to their selection of French portico clocks: 19th-century timepieces with classical columns and gilded pendulums. —David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 16 June 2025

The Saxon pendant — a gilded pectoral cross — was discovered by a metal detectorist in a field in Leeds and is believed to date back to the eighth century, according to a May 12 news release from the Leeds City Council. —Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 15 May 2025

Soaked in rich colors and gilded detailing, the drawing room is now open to the public for the first time in its history. —Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Apr. 2025

The ceiling is covered in gilded wood, and light pours in through high-up windows to illuminate intricate mosaics that line the nave. —Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 25 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of gild entry 1

First Known Use

1540, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for gilded

• builded