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polished definition

pol·ished (päl′is̸ht)

adjective

    1. made smooth and shiny, as by rubbing
    2. having a naturally smooth and shiny surface
  2. elegant; refined
  3. without error or flaw; finished a polished performance

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

polished Synonyms

polished

modif.

  1. Bright

    glossy, shining, gleaming; see bright 1.

  2. Refined

    polite, well-bred, cultured; see refined 2.

  3. Referring to writing or speech

    perfected, elaborate, ornate; see elegant 3.

  4. Well executed

    flawless, masterly, masterful, accomplished, impeccable.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

polished Usage Examples

Preposition: by

  • wear: These cobbles aren't wet - just polished by the wear of feet and hoof grease.

Preposition: than

  • man: Every second counts Overall RON:ROL is more polished than a clockwork man 's codpiece and just as full of meaty surprises.

Modifies a noun

  • floorboard: The Maitre'd points her in my direction, crossing the beautifully polished floorboards.

Modifying Another Word

  • highly: A highly polished duo, Clive & Sandra perform a wide variety of songs.

Used with adjective complement

  • seem: I find this a little hard to believe, but the system seems more polished than a number of cassette games.
polished usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

polished quotes

  The soul is placed in the body like a rough diamond, and must be polished, or the lustre of it will never appear.

-Defoe, Daniel

Wasthere ever sucha sunnystreet asthis Broadway! The pavement stones are polished with thetread of feet until they shine again† Heaven save the ladies, how they dress! We have seen more colours in these ten minutes, than we should have seen elsewhere, in as many days. What various parasols! what rainbow silks and satins! what pinking of thin stockings and pinching of thin shoes, and fluttering of ribbons and silk tassels, and display of rich cloaks with gaudy hoods and linings!

-Dickens, CharlesJohn Huffam

When I was a lad I served a term As office boy to an attorney's firm. I cleaned the windows and I swept the floor, And I polished up the handle of the big front door. I polished up that handle so carefullee That now I am the Ruler of the Queen's Navee!

-Gilbert, Sir W(illiam) S(chwenck)

polished quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"polished." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/polished>

APA Style

polished. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/polished

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