1
: a surface luster or brightness : shine
2
a
: a deceptively attractive appearance
selfishness that had a gloss of humanitarianism about it
b
: bright often superficial attractiveness
show-biz gloss
3
: a viscous usually tinted cosmetic preparation used for adding shine and usually color to the lips : lip gloss
glossed; glossing; glosses
1
a
: to mask the true nature of : give a deceptively attractive appearance to
—used with over
the misery was general, where not glossed over by liberal application of alcohol—
Marston Bates
Marston Bates
b
: to deal with (a subject or problem) too lightly or not at all
—used with over
glosses over scholarly controversies rather than confronting them head-on—John Israel
John Israel2
: to give a gloss to
1
a
: a brief explanation (as in the margin or between the lines of a text) of a difficult or obscure word or expression
b
: a false and often willfully misleading interpretation (as of a text)
2
3
glossed; glossing; glosses
2
: to dispose of by false or perverse interpretation
trying to gloss away the irrationalities of the universe—Irwin Edman
Irwin Edman
Did you know?
The verb gloss, referring to a brief explanation, comes from Greek glôssa, meaning "tongue," "language," or "obscure word." There is also the familiar phrase gloss over, meaning "to deal with (something) too lightly or not at all." That gloss is related to Germanic glosen, "to glow or shine," and comes from the noun gloss, which in English can refer to a shine on a surface or to a superficial attractiveness that is easily dismissed.
Synonyms
Examples of gloss in a Sentence
Noun (1)
used a computer to give her astrological predictions the gloss of real science
the surface has such a high gloss, you can see your face reflected in it
Verb (1)
I don't want to gloss over her misbehavior, but keep in mind that she's been under a lot of stress lately
this biographer tends to gloss over his subject's many character flaws
Recent Examples on the Web
Seyward Darby, Longreads, 30 Oct. 2024
This Maybelline lipstick offers high pigment and a shiny finish that doesn’t require any gloss.
—Hyphensocial Contributors, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2024
Angel Saunders, People.com, 29 Oct. 2024
Maybe between spritzing on Sol de Janeiro or Dior Sauvage Elixir, and perhaps glossing on Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm, picking out a Halloween costume is just low on the priority list.
—Melissa Willets, Parents, 1 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gloss 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Beneath its gloss of modernity, the Zionist state—not Palestine—is the anachronism.
—Seyward Darby, Longreads, 30 Oct. 2024
This Maybelline lipstick offers high pigment and a shiny finish that doesn’t require any gloss.
—Hyphensocial Contributors, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2024
Verb
Her hair was styled in a shoulder-length, wavy bob, and her makeup was fun and flirty with a bit of shimmer on her eyelids, rosy cheeks and gloss on her lips.
—Angel Saunders, People.com, 29 Oct. 2024
Maybe between spritzing on Sol de Janeiro or Dior Sauvage Elixir, and perhaps glossing on Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm, picking out a Halloween costume is just low on the priority list.
—Melissa Willets, Parents, 1 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gloss
Articles Related to gloss
Dictionary Entries Near gloss
Cite this Entry
“Gloss.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gloss. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share