EN

Synonyms for varnish

  • verb
  • noun

Most common

polish gloss enamel glaze seal gloss over smear palliate

Synonyms by meaning

Verb

1. Polish

polish, gloss, enamel, glaze, japan, furbish

2. Gild

gild, decorate, embellish, adorn, garnish

Other

gloss over, color US, colour UK, seal, cover, smear, conceal, disguise, excuse, mitigate, palliate, extenuate dated

Noun

lacquer, palliation, extenuation

Definitions

  1. v. 1

    To apply varnish.

  2. v. 2

    To cover up with varnish.

  3. n. 1

    A clear or translucent liquid coating composed of resin dissolved in a solvent, which dries by evaporation to form a hard, protective, and typically glossy finish.

Related words

Phrases
varnish tree nail varnish desert varnish rock varnish

Forms

Plural
varnishes → lacquers, palliations, extenuations…
Past participle
varnished
e.g. varnished → polished, glossed, enameled, glazed…

Example sentences

  • polish These sentences in Polish have different meanings.
  • gloss The girl bought some lip gloss at the convenience store.
  • enamel Tooth enamel is mostly composed of hydroxyapatite.
  • glaze He covered the cake with a glossy chocolate glaze.
  • seal Let me add a few words before you seal the letter.

Popularity over time

Word1850 → 2019Trend
varnishfalling
polishrising
glosssteady
enamelfalling
glazesteady
sealfalling

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters
seal1, gild1
5 letters
cover2, japan2, color2, gloss1, smear1, glaze1, adorn2
6 letters
excuse2, colour2, polish2, enamel3
7 letters
conceal2, garnish2, lacquer2, furbish2
8 letters
disguise2, mitigate3, decorate3, palliate
9 letters
embellish3, extenuate4
10 letters
palliation
11 letters
extenuation

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (cover2 = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français
vernir
Italiano
verniciare
Español
barnizar