Meaning & use
gild the lily
To try to improve something that is already excellent, often making it worse or excessive.
See it in a sentence
Adding gold trim to the already ornate cake would just gild the lily.
The editor warned him not to gild the lily by over-describing every scene.
A note on using this word
This idiom comes from a misquotation of Shakespeare and is used to criticize unnecessary, excessive decoration or effort.
Words with a similar meaning
overembellish
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
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