Polished — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb /ˈpä-lisht/ pol·ished

Meaning & Definition of Polished

Polished (adjective)

  1. subjected to polishing, made smooth and glossy by or as if by polishing
  2. characterized by a high degree of development, finish, or refinement, free from imperfections
  3. characterized by elegance and refinement

Polished (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. having a shiny surface or finish

    "she could see her face reflected in the polished hood of the car"

    similar: buffed, burnished, glistening, glossy, lustrous, rubbed, satin, satiny, sleek
    related: brushed, eggshell, semigloss, semilustrous, silken, silky, slick, slippery, glassy, glazed, lacquered, shellacked, varnished, gleaming, glittering, reflective, shining
    opposite: dim, dull, flat, lusterless, matte
    near: lackluster, unvarnished

  2. having or showing a taste for the fine arts and gracious living

    "showing the polished manners of a cosmopolitan woman"

    similar: accomplished, civilized, couth, cultivated, cultured, genteel, refined
    related: cerebral, highbrow, highbrowed, high-toned, intellectual, intellectualist, intellectualistic, educated, erudite, knowledgeable, learned, literate, scholarly, well-read, civil, courteous, mannerly, polite, well-bred, cosmopolitan, sophisticated, urbane, hypercivilized, overcivilized, oversophisticated
    opposite: barbaric, barbarous, philistine, uncivilized, uncultured, ungenteel, unpolished, unrefined
    near: ignorant, illiterate, uneducated, unlettered, lowbrow, unintelligent, coarse, ill-bred, ill-mannered, backwoods, provincial, rustic, inelegant, polyester, unsophisticated, boorish, churlish, cloddish, clownish, crude, uncouth, vulgar

Polished (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to make smooth or glossy usually by repeatedly applying surface pressure

    "you'll need to polish your shoes with a clean rag before the performance"

    similar: buffed, burnished, dressed, furbished, glossed, ground, rubbed, shone, smoothed, smoothened
    related: sleeked, slicked, coated, glazed, japanned, lacquered, varnished, faced, finished, veneered, brightened, filed, rasped, sandblasted, sanded, sandpapered, scoured, scraped, scrubbed, bobbed, boned, lapped
    near: roughed (up), roughened, ruffled, scuffed (up)

  2. to bring (something) to a state where nothing remains to be done

    "once you polish the article a bit, it'll be ready to submit"

    similar: completed, consummated, finalized, finished, perfected, got through
    related: followed through (with), stuck out, accomplished, achieved, effected, carried out, carried through, did, discharged, executed, fulfilled, performed, ameliorated, amended, bettered, enhanced, enriched, improved, meliorated, machined, refined, rounded (off or out), shone, touched up
    near: abandoned, deserted, discontinued, dropped, forsook, quit

Related Entry: Polish (verb)

Polish is a different word from Polished. The synonyms below are for polish, not for polished.

  1. to make smooth or glossy usually by repeatedly applying surface pressure

    "you'll need to polish your shoes with a clean rag before the performance"

    similar: buff, burnish, dress, furbish, gloss, grind, rub, shine, smooth, smoothen
    related: sleek, slick, coat, glaze, japan, lacquer, varnish, face, finish, veneer, brighten, file, rasp, sand, sandblast, sandpaper, scour, scrape, scrub, bob, bone, lap
    near: rough (up), roughen, ruffle, scuff (up)

  2. to bring (something) to a state where nothing remains to be done

    "once you polish the article a bit, it'll be ready to submit"

    similar: complete, consummate, finalize, finish, perfect, get through
    related: follow through (with), stick out, accomplish, achieve, effect, carry out, carry through, discharge, do, execute, fulfill, perform, ameliorate, amend, better, enhance, enrich, improve, meliorate, machine, refine, round (off or out), shine, touch up
    near: abandon, desert, discontinue, drop, forsake, quit

Related Entry: Polished off (verb)

Polished off is a different word from Polished. The synonyms below are for polished off, not for polished.

  1. as in finished, dispatched

    similar: dispatched, finished, chewed, gnawed (at or on), lapped, licked, munched, nibbled (on), pecked (at), ruminated, gorged, scarfed, scoffed, wolfed, ate, consumed, mouthed (down), put away, supped, bolted, devoured, gobbled (up or down), gulped, ingurgitated, drank, guzzled, imbibed, knocked back, sipped, downed, got down, ingested, swallowed

Related Entry: Apple-polished (verb)

Apple-polished is a different word from Polished. The synonyms below are for apple-polished, not for polished.

  1. to use flattery or the doing of favors in order to win approval especially from a superior

    "a departmental supervisor who apple-polishes shamelessly whenever higher-ups are about"

    similar: bootlicked, fawned, fussed, kowtowed, sucked (up), toadied, truckled, curried favor, kissed up to
    related: drooled, gushed, slavered, slobbered, endeared, ingratiated, courted, wooed, adulated, idolized, worshipped, blandished, cajoled, coaxed, flattered, overpraised, soft-soaped, cowered, cringed, groveled, abased, debased, demeaned, deferred, submitted, yielded
    near: despised, disdained, scorned, gibed, jeered, scoffed, braved, challenged, defied

Related Entry: Apple-polish (verb)

Apple-polish is a different word from Polished. The synonyms below are for apple-polish, not for polished.

  1. to use flattery or the doing of favors in order to win approval especially from a superior

    "a departmental supervisor who apple-polishes shamelessly whenever higher-ups are about"

    similar: bootlick, fawn, fuss, kowtow, suck (up), toady, truckle, curry favor, kiss up to
    related: drool, gush, slaver, slobber, endear, ingratiate, court, woo, adulate, idolize, worship, blandish, cajole, coax, flatter, overpraise, soft-soap, cower, cringe, grovel, abase, debase, demean, defer, submit, yield
    near: despise, disdain, scorn, gibe, jeer, scoff, brave, challenge, defy

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Polished

The most common words with a similar meaning to Polished:

buffed, burnished, glistening, glossy, lustrous, rubbed, satin, satiny, sleek, accomplished, civilized, couth, cultivated, cultured, genteel, refined, dressed, furbished, glossed, ground, shone, smoothed, smoothened, completed, consummated, finalized, finished, perfected, got through

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Polished

Words with the opposite meaning of Polished:

dim, dull, flat, lusterless, matte, barbaric, barbarous, philistine, uncivilized, uncultured, ungenteel, unpolished, unrefined

Related Words for Polished

brushed, eggshell, semigloss, semilustrous, silken, silky, slick, slippery, glassy, glazed, lacquered, shellacked, varnished, gleaming, glittering, reflective, shining, cerebral, highbrow, highbrowed, high-toned, intellectual, intellectualist, intellectualistic, educated, erudite, knowledgeable, learned, literate, scholarly

Near Antonyms of Polished

lackluster, unvarnished, ignorant, illiterate, uneducated, unlettered, lowbrow, unintelligent, coarse, ill-bred, ill-mannered, backwoods, provincial, rustic, inelegant, polyester, unsophisticated, boorish, churlish, cloddish, clownish, crude, uncouth, vulgar, roughed (up), roughened, ruffled, scuffed (up), abandoned, deserted

Origin & Etymology of Polished

Middle English polisshed, from past participle of polisshen to polish

First known use: 14th century

Frequently Asked Questions about Polished

What does "Polished" mean?

"Polished" means subjected to polishing, made smooth and glossy by or as if by polishing. As an an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: subjected to polishing, made smooth and glossy by or as if by polishing. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Polished"?

Other words for "Polished" include buffed, burnished, glistening, glossy, lustrous, rubbed, satin and satiny. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Polished" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Polished"?

There are 110 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Polished". Common alternatives include buffed, burnished, glistening, glossy, lustrous, rubbed, satin, satiny, sleek and accomplished.

What is the opposite of "Polished"?

Antonyms of "Polished" include dim, dull, flat, lusterless, matte, barbaric, barbarous and philistine. Near antonyms include lackluster, unvarnished, ignorant and illiterate.

How do you use "Polished" in a sentence?

Examples of "Polished" in a sentence: "she could see her face reflected in the polished hood of the car"; "showing the polished manners of a cosmopolitan woman"; "you'll need to polish your shoes with a clean rag before the performance".

Is "Polished" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Polished" can be used as an adjective and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Polished"?

"Polished" is pronounced /ˈpä-lisht/ and divided into syllables as pol·ished.

What is the origin of the word "Polished"?

"Polished" comes from Middle English polisshed, from past participle of polisshen to polish. First known use: 14th century.