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
Sharon details how this squad helps Anthropic’s business, too, burnishing its reputation as the AI lab that cares the most about AI safety and perhaps winning it a more receptive ear in the corridors of power.
—
Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
Daniella Pierson has cozied up to everyone from Diane von Furstenberg to Selena Gomez, burnishing her image as her businesses unraveled.
—Monica Hunter-Hart, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
Daniella Pierson has cozied up to everyone from Diane von Furstenberg to Selena Gomez, burnishing her image as her businesses unraveled.
—Monica Hunter-Hart, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for burnishing
Verb
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Silver Centerpieces For anyone who's ever gotten stuck polishing silver, there's good news.—
Heather Bien,
Southern Living,
3 Sep. 2025
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When growth takes off, there's often a temptation to start polishing everything.—
Mike Vietri,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Work it into the fabric by massaging it with the pads of your fingers or by rubbing the fabric against itself.—
Jolie Kerr,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Sep. 2025
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These trees are always vulnerable to the male deer, known as bucks, rubbing their antlers on the trunks of the trees.—
Chris McKeown,
The Enquirer,
30 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Gallant, sleeveless and heavily tattooed, began slowly smoothing a white sheet atop his model’s shoulders.—
Sarah Larson,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
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The multi-styler comes with all kinds of attachments, including several long barrels, two smoothing brushes, a round volumizing brush, and a smoothing dryer.—
Isabel Garcia,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Burnishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burnishing. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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