sheeny

Meanings

1. 1adjectivecomparableliteraryrare

   Having a smooth, shining surface that reflects light softly.

   Grammar: Used before a noun or after a linking verb: sheeny silk, the fabric looked sheeny.

   Patterns

   • sheeny fabric
   • sheeny with something

   She wore a sheeny blue scarf that caught the candlelight.

   The wet road looked sheeny under the streetlights.

   His hair was sheeny after the long brushing.

2. 2adjectivecomparableliterary

   Covered in a thin, glossy film, as of oil, rain or fine dust.

   Grammar: Often describes surfaces seen in changing light.

   Patterns

   • sheeny with rain
   • sheeny surface

   The pavement turned sheeny with rain.

   A sheeny layer of oil floated on the puddle.

   The leaves were sheeny with morning dew.

Word forms

Common combinations

sheeny fabric

The dress was made of sheeny fabric.

sheeny surface

The lake had a sheeny surface at dawn.

sheeny finish

The paint has a sheeny finish.

sheeny silk

Sheeny silk rippled as she moved.

Synonyms and how they differ

shiny

Shiny is the ordinary word for anything that reflects light, while sheeny sounds soft and literary.

glossy

Glossy suggests a hard, polished surface such as paint or paper, not a gentle shimmer.

lustrous

Lustrous is more formal and suggests a rich, deep glow.

silky

Silky stresses smooth feel as well as soft shine.

Opposites

Word family

sheen noun

a soft, bright shine on a surface

sheenily adverb

in a softly shining way, a rare form

sheeniness noun

the quality of being sheeny, a rare form

Commonly confused: sheeny or sheen?

Practice

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