as in polishing
to make smooth or glossy usually by repeatedly applying surface pressure
burnished the floor of the ballroom to a soft luster
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Recent Examples of burnishing
Shapiro brushed off questions — and Republican criticism — about burnishing his credentials for a White House run.
—
CBS News, 25 Apr. 2026
The Wolverines lost to Duke, burnishing the Blue Devils’ resume.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2026
He became known for poaching clients, extracting heroic sums for their work, and burnishing their reputations abroad.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Meghan signed with talent agency WME in April 2023, in hopes of burnishing her profile in the business.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 17 Mar. 2026
And Willard’s overt emphasis on velocity led to serious gains in Boston, with the Red Sox burnishing their reputation for pitching development during his two years there.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
The legacy of the Milan Cortina Winter Games is both physical, in new facilities and infrastructure, and intangible, burnishing Milan’s global image.
—Colleen Barry, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
Most notably, Paxton led numerous legal challenges against the Biden administration over immigration and border policies, often succeeding and burnishing his credentials as a conservative crusader.
—Thomas Beaumont, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2026
Most notably, Paxton led numerous legal challenges against the previous Joe Biden administration over immigration and border policies, often succeeding and burnishing his credentials as a conservative crusader.
—ABC News, 16 Feb. 2026
CBS News, 25 Apr. 2026
The Wolverines lost to Duke, burnishing the Blue Devils’ resume.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2026
He became known for poaching clients, extracting heroic sums for their work, and burnishing their reputations abroad.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Meghan signed with talent agency WME in April 2023, in hopes of burnishing her profile in the business.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 17 Mar. 2026
And Willard’s overt emphasis on velocity led to serious gains in Boston, with the Red Sox burnishing their reputation for pitching development during his two years there.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
The legacy of the Milan Cortina Winter Games is both physical, in new facilities and infrastructure, and intangible, burnishing Milan’s global image.
—Colleen Barry, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
Most notably, Paxton led numerous legal challenges against the Biden administration over immigration and border policies, often succeeding and burnishing his credentials as a conservative crusader.
—Thomas Beaumont, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2026
Most notably, Paxton led numerous legal challenges against the previous Joe Biden administration over immigration and border policies, often succeeding and burnishing his credentials as a conservative crusader.
—ABC News, 16 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for burnishing
Verb
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While rivals like the Tacoma and Colorado constantly reinvent themselves, Nissan tends to take the long road by refining, tweaking, and polishing instead of blowing everything up every few years.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
3 May 2026
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Various owners have taken the reins over the years, but all were committed to preserving the bar’s old-school character rather than polishing, upgrading, or updating it away.—
Skye Sherman,
Southern Living,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Harvest quinoa by hitting the flower stalks against a hard surface or rubbing them between your hands to separate the seeds from the flower parts or chaff.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 Apr. 2026
-
An employee washed hands for less than 10 seconds at the sushi bar, and the inspector wants to see 10-15 seconds of your hands rubbing each other.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Stansbury smiled, smoothing the fabric over my back.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The product design for the pull-on skinny and flare denim sought to tackle frequent fit issues women have with jeans—such as waist gaps and hip dips—with waist-smoothing paneling and padding and contour seaming to lift and round wearers’ hips.—
Sarah Jones,
Footwear News,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Burnishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burnishing. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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