polished 1 of 2

adjective

ˈpä-lisht How to pronounce polished (audio)
Definition of polishednext
1
as in sleek
having a shiny surface or finish she could see her face reflected in the polished hood of the car

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cultured
having or showing a taste for the fine arts and gracious living showing the polished manners of a cosmopolitan woman

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

polished

2 of 2

verb

past tense of polish
1
as in smoothed
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in finished
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of polished
Adjective
If Britney Spears can hire ghostwriters to help turn her partial memories into polished prose, why does asking ChatGPT to do the same thing feel like a whole other ball game? — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 28 Aug. 2026 Crafted from mirror-polished stainless steel, the reflective surface was made to display a pair of crisp martinis or a selection of decadent desserts. — Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 27 Aug. 2026
Verb
But everything around it needed to be sculpted, sanded and polished by hand. — John Lauritsen, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026 From two-tone cardigans for dinner and straw hats for family beach days to her signature breezy button-downs, Markle’s getaway style is a master class in looking polished without overdoing it. — Amanda Le, InStyle, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for polished
Recent Examples of Synonyms for polished
  1. sleek
  2. cultured
  3. smoothed
  4. finished
  5. glossy
  6. civilized
  7. rubbed
  8. completed
Adjective
  • The sleek stovepipes in an indigo wash are already in our cart.
    — Kristina Rutkowski, Vogue, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Saying a player is bigger and stronger can be cliche, but a UM person said that’s very much the case with Lightfoot, whose strength is sometimes underestimated because of his sleek build.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of sleek
Adjective
  • To determine whether there's a bacterial infection, that urine must be cultured.
    — Meghan Rabbitt, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Crème fraîche is a slightly tangy cultured cream with around 30% fat.
    — Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of cultured
Verb
  • Missteps by the opposition also smoothed the path for the party’s ultimate takeover of the state.
    — Duncan McCargo, Foreign Affairs, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Over the course of a month, our testers smoothed these lotions all over their body, taking notes on ingredients, texture, and efficacy in addressing their skin concerns.
    — Mary Honkus, Glamour, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of smoothed
Verb
  • Jurors finished yet another day of deliberations in the trial of Lindsay Clancy without reaching a verdict.
    — Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The interior, meanwhile, measures 35 sq m (376 sq ft) and is finished in wood, lending it a cozy cabin-like feel.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of finished
Adjective
  • Plus, sunflower and bilberry seed oils give strands a glossy finish.
    — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The resulting sauce is glossy enough to spy your reflection in its jet black depths, refined yet powerful with its distinct wallop of deep, earthy flavors.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of glossy
Adjective
  • At least in civilized society, which is what Screencaps Nation is all about.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Leave it in its normal mode and the SQ5 behaves like a civilized luxury crossover.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of civilized
Verb
  • The tacos feature za’atar rubbed swordfish kissed by a wood-burning grill, dabbed with tangy pools of labne and a salsa arabe, similar to harissa.
    — The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Tragedy, humor and scientific interest rubbed shoulders as Atlanta turned out Thursday night to view the astral spectacle which sent 261 stars streaking across the heavens.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of rubbed
Verb
  • Chaparral flies autonomously Elroy Air completed a new series of autonomous, uncrewed flight tests of its Chaparral cargo aircraft under the US Department of Transportation and FAA’s eIPP project.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Google said the model excels at coding and on some benchmarks, its performance equalled that of larger models from rival AI companies, but completed them at a much lower cost.
    — Wen Shao, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of completed

Browse Nearby Words

polish
polished
polished off
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Polished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/polished. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All