Meaning & use
polished
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Having a smooth, glossy surface that comes from being rubbed or buffed.
Grammar: Describes a surface: polished floors, a polished table.
Patterns
- a polished something
The polished floor reflected the lights of the hall.
He admired the polished silver set on the dining table.
A polished stone sat on the windowsill, smooth as glass.
adjectivecomparableapproving
Skilled, elegant and free of rough edges because of practice or careful preparation.
Grammar: Describes a performance, speech or person: a polished speaker is more polished than a beginner.
Patterns
- a polished performance
- polished manners
The pianist gave a polished performance without a single wrong note.
Her polished presentation impressed the board of directors.
He is a polished host who makes every guest feel welcome.
Word forms
| comparative | more polished |
|---|---|
| superlative | most polished |
Common combinations
- highly polished
- The highly polished shoes gleamed in the hallway.
- polished performance
- The team delivered a polished performance in the final.
- polished manners
- His polished manners made a good impression on her parents.
- polished surface
- Dust showed clearly on the polished surface of the piano.
- polished prose
- The editor praised the polished prose of the second chapter.
Synonyms and how they differ
- glossy
- Glossy describes only a shiny look, while polished also suggests the shine came from rubbing or finishing.
- refined
- Refined suggests good taste and cultivated manners, while polished suggests smooth skill or finish.
- slick
- Slick can sound impressive but is often slightly negative, hinting at being too smooth, whereas polished is nearly always praise.
- accomplished
- Accomplished stresses proven skill in a field, while polished stresses how smooth and professional the result looks.
Opposites
Word family
- polish verb
- to rub something to make it shine, or to improve it
- polish noun
- a substance used for shining, or a refined quality
- polisher noun
- a person or machine that polishes
- unpolished adjective
- rough, not smooth or refined
- polishing noun
- the act of making something shine or improving it
Commonly confused: polished or Polish?
polished vs Polish
Polish with a capital P means from Poland and is pronounced with a long o, as in /ˈpəʊlɪʃ/. The adjective polished comes from the verb polish, to shine.
Practice
The singer's ___ stage show had no mistakes and every move looked rehearsed and smooth.
Choose one answer.
Polished here means skilled and smooth after careful preparation. Rough is the opposite, and tangled or hollow do not describe a skillful show.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “polished”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.