gloss
/glɔs/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- A deceptively attractive or impressive outward appearance: A superficial shine or polish that makes something look better than it is, often hiding flaws or true nature.
- A smooth, shiny surface luster: The property of being smooth and reflective, like the shine on a polished floor or a glossy photograph.
- An explanation or translation of a difficult word or passage: A brief note, often between lines or in a margin, that clarifies the meaning of a term, especially in a scholarly text.
- A list of specialized terms with explanations: An alphabetical list of technical words and their definitions, often found as an appendix in a book.
Verb:
- To give a shiny surface to something: To make something smooth and shiny by polishing or rubbing it.
- To provide brief explanations or translations: To add notes that explain the meaning of words or phrases in a text.
- To give a deceptively favorable appearance to something; to conceal flaws: To make something bad or wrong seem attractive or acceptable by not dealing with it honestly.
Examples of Usage
Noun:
- The furniture had a beautiful gloss. (The furniture had a beautiful, shiny surface.)
- Beneath its gloss of sophistication, the city had many problems. (Under its deceptive appearance of sophistication, the city had many problems.)
- The textbook included a gloss of key terms at the back. (The textbook included a list explaining key terms at the back.)
- The editor added a gloss to clarify the ancient term. (The editor added a brief explanation to clarify the ancient term.)
Verb:
- She used a cloth to gloss the wooden table. (She used a cloth to make the wooden table shiny.)
- The politician tried to gloss over the scandal. (The politician tried to make the scandal seem less serious by not talking about it honestly.)
- Scholars gloss the manuscript to help modern readers. (Scholars add explanatory notes to the manuscript to help modern readers.)
Advanced Usage
- "to gloss over" (phrasal verb): To treat something serious or problematic as if it is not important, in order to avoid dealing with it.
- The report glossed over the major safety concerns. (The report avoided discussing the major safety concerns in detail.)
Variants and Related Words
- Glossy (adjective): Having a smooth, shiny surface; superficially attractive and stylish.
- She bought a glossy magazine. (She bought a magazine with shiny pages.)
- Glossary (noun): An alphabetical list of terms with definitions, like a mini-dictionary for a specific subject.
- Check the glossary for the definition of 'metaphor'. (Check the list of terms for the definition of 'metaphor'.)
Synonyms
- Noun (for shine): Sheen, luster, polish, shine.
- Noun (for deceptive appearance): Veneer, facade, pretense.
- Verb (to make shiny): Polish, burnish, buff.
- Verb (to explain): Annotate, comment, interpret.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Gloss over: To avoid discussing something unpleasant or embarrassing by not giving details or by treating it as unimportant.
- He always glosses over his mistakes. (He always avoids talking honestly about his mistakes.)
Related Idioms
- A gloss of respectability: A superficial appearance of being proper and respectable, used to hide questionable activities.
- The charity gave a gloss of respectability to his business dealings. (The charity made his business dealings appear respectable on the surface.)
Noun
- an outward or token appearance or form that is deliberately misleading
- he hoped his claims would have a semblance of authenticity
- he tried to give his falsehood the gloss of moral sanction
- the situation soon took on a different color
- the property of being smooth and shiny
- an alphabetical list of technical terms in some specialized field of knowledge; usually published as an appendix to a text on that field
- an explanation or definition of an obscure word in a text
Verb
- give a deceptive explanation or excuse for
- color a lie
- provide an interlinear translation of a word or phrase
- provide interlinear explanations for words or phrases
- He annotated on what his teacher had written
- give a shine or gloss to, usually by rubbing