Varnish
noun
A clear liquid which is applied on the surface of objects to make them shiny and to protect them.
He applied a layer of varnish to the wooden table to protect it from moisture.
Often appears as...
- apply varnish
- coat of varnish
verb
To put varnish on something.
He varnished the wooden table to give it a shiny finish.
Often appears as...
- varnish with
- varnish over
noun
A deceptive, superficial appearance that hides the reality or truth.
Their polite manners were just a varnish that hid their true cruel nature.
Often appears as...
- varnish of respectability
- varnish of civilization
Usage tips
Disapproving
Idiomatic
noun
A clear liquid which is applied on the surface of objects to make them shiny and to protect them.
He applied a layer of varnish to the wooden table to protect it from moisture.
Often appears as...
- apply varnish
- coat of varnish
verb
To put varnish on something.
He varnished the wooden table to give it a shiny finish.
Often appears as...
- varnish with
- varnish over
noun
A deceptive, superficial appearance that hides the reality or truth.
Their polite manners were just a varnish that hid their true cruel nature.
Often appears as...
- varnish of respectability
- varnish of civilization
Usage tips
Disapproving
Idiomatic
Definition 1 of 3
Pro Tip 1/3Protective Layer
Varnish is often mentioned in contexts where protection and preservation are important.
The antiques were covered with varnish to preserve their condition.
Pro Tip 2/3Wood Finishing
Varnish is primarily used on wood, but can also be used on other materials.
She admired the glossy varnish on the new violin.
Pro Tip 3/3Visual Transformation
The word indicates not just protection but also aesthetic improvement.
The varnish gave the old bench a beautiful, new look.
Pro Tip 1/3Protective Layer
Varnish is often mentioned in contexts where protection and preservation are important.
The antiques were covered with varnish to preserve their condition.
Pro Tip 2/3Wood Finishing
Varnish is primarily used on wood, but can also be used on other materials.
She admired the glossy varnish on the new violin.
Pro Tip 3/3Visual Transformation
The word indicates not just protection but also aesthetic improvement.
The varnish gave the old bench a beautiful, new look.
Pro Tip 1/3Protective Layer
Varnish is often mentioned in contexts where protection and preservation are important.
The antiques were covered with varnish to preserve their condition.
Pro Tip 2/3Wood Finishing
Varnish is primarily used on wood, but can also be used on other materials.
She admired the glossy varnish on the new violin.
Pro Tip 3/3Visual Transformation
The word indicates not just protection but also aesthetic improvement.
The varnish gave the old bench a beautiful, new look.
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Video examples
Maurizio Seracini: The...
you suddenly see another, different lady, aged lady, I should rather say. There is a lot of varnish still sitting there, several retouches, and some over cleaning. It becomes very visible. But also, technology has helped to write new pages of our history, or at least to update pages of our histories.
Video examples
The Art of Mugshots PIPE...
then recapped the lens that was basically their shudder they rushed it back to the dark room before the plate dry develop it right away wash it and then they would have to varnish that plate after a dried that's what preserve that image on there and it was on there forever
Video examples
The secret lives of...
suddenly see another different lady age lady I should rather say there is a lot of varnish still sitting there several retouches and some over cleaning it becomes very visible but also technology has helped to light new pages of our history or at least to update pages
Video examples
Why is Vermeer's "Girl...
also emphasizes the worldliness of the merchant class, and the pearl itself, a symbol of wealth, is actually an exaggeration. Vermeer couldn't have afforded a real pearl of its size. It was likely just a glass or tin drop varnished to look like a pearl.
Video examples
Dan Dennett: Responding...
We heard about the atmosphere as a thin layer of varnish. Life itself is just a thin coat of paint on this planet. And we're the ones that hold the paintbrush. And how can we do that? The key to our domination of the planet is culture.
Video examples
Can you guess what's...
To recover the original, the conservator began removing the outer varnish coat. Varnish is commonly used to protect paintings from debris and make their colors pop. But the natural varnishes past restorers applied eventually darkened,
Video examples
Making an Artificial Eye...
eyes a coat of clear acrylic varnish is applied over the top of the eye and it gets even cured to seal it finally a buff and polish gives us a nice glossy finish and the appearance of a living eye the expected lifespan of an
Video examples
Testing the Mona Lisa PIPE...
the science is complex but it boils down to this an infrared camera can photograph details we can't see when the camera peered through the paintings darkened varnish it detected something unusual about Mona's attire
Video examples
Why the universe seems...
What we see of the real world is not the unvarnished world, but a model of the world, regulated and adjusted by sense data, but constructed so it's useful for dealing with the real world.
Video examples
Mike Wallace remembers...
said for anyone no time for I have no time for her and then I played it for and then that's when she said she began to cry a little bit the unvarnished
Video examples
Maurizio Seracini: The...
you suddenly see another, different lady, aged lady, I should rather say. There is a lot of varnish still sitting there, several retouches, and some over cleaning. It becomes very visible. But also, technology has helped to write new pages of our history, or at least to update pages of our histories.
Video examples
The Art of Mugshots PIPE...
then recapped the lens that was basically their shudder they rushed it back to the dark room before the plate dry develop it right away wash it and then they would have to varnish that plate after a dried that's what preserve that image on there and it was on there forever
Video examples
The secret lives of...
suddenly see another different lady age lady I should rather say there is a lot of varnish still sitting there several retouches and some over cleaning it becomes very visible but also technology has helped to light new pages of our history or at least to update pages
Video examples
Why is Vermeer's "Girl...
also emphasizes the worldliness of the merchant class, and the pearl itself, a symbol of wealth, is actually an exaggeration. Vermeer couldn't have afforded a real pearl of its size. It was likely just a glass or tin drop varnished to look like a pearl.
Video examples
Dan Dennett: Responding...
We heard about the atmosphere as a thin layer of varnish. Life itself is just a thin coat of paint on this planet. And we're the ones that hold the paintbrush. And how can we do that? The key to our domination of the planet is culture.
Video examples
Can you guess what's...
To recover the original, the conservator began removing the outer varnish coat. Varnish is commonly used to protect paintings from debris and make their colors pop. But the natural varnishes past restorers applied eventually darkened,
Video examples
Making an Artificial Eye...
eyes a coat of clear acrylic varnish is applied over the top of the eye and it gets even cured to seal it finally a buff and polish gives us a nice glossy finish and the appearance of a living eye the expected lifespan of an
Video examples
Testing the Mona Lisa PIPE...
the science is complex but it boils down to this an infrared camera can photograph details we can't see when the camera peered through the paintings darkened varnish it detected something unusual about Mona's attire
Video examples
Why the universe seems...
What we see of the real world is not the unvarnished world, but a model of the world, regulated and adjusted by sense data, but constructed so it's useful for dealing with the real world.
Video examples
Mike Wallace remembers...
said for anyone no time for I have no time for her and then I played it for and then that's when she said she began to cry a little bit the unvarnished
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Chris Christie
American Politician
Mom spent the time that she was supposed to be a kid actully raising children, her younger brother and younger sister. She was tough as nails and did not suffer fools at all. And the truth was she could not afford to. She spoke the truth, bluntly, directly, and without much varnish. I am her son.
Quote examples
Barry McGee
American Artist
For me, graffiti means making marks on surfaces using just about anything, be it markers, spray, paint, chalk, lipstick, varnish, ink. Or it can be the result of scratches and incisions. The aim is to maintain the energy created by disturbance or excitement in the street.
Quote examples
Andrew Lansley
British Politician
I was shadow health secretary for six years, and the beauty of being in opposition - if there is any beauty - is that you tend to get a pretty unvarnished view because no one bothers to paint the coal white before you turn up.
Quote examples
Edwin Catmull
American Scientist
A hallmark of a healthy creative culture is that its people feel free to share ideas, opinions, and criticisms. Our decision-making is better when we draw on the collective knowledge and unvarnished opinions of the group.
Quote examples
Laurie Graham
English Journalist
I'm thankful my parents obliged me to live with the unvarnished truth: I might not have been a looker, but I was a better speller than the prettiest girl in my class, and I was funnier, too.
Quote examples
John Rhys-Davies
Welsh Actor
I do not want to see a society where, should I ever have any, my granddaughters have their fingernails pulled out because they are wearing nail varnish.
Quote examples
Cenk Uygur
Turkish Lawyer
The older generation grew up on blow-dried anchors, plastic politicians, and an ocean of pretense. Realness seems unvarnished and unpolished to them.
Quote examples
Michael Arrington
American Businessman
I always try to find the truth in a situation. That unvarnished, pure nugget of truth at the core of every issue that I write about.
Quote examples
LeVar Burton
American Actor
The unvarnished truth is that we have spent the last decade funding the machinery of war, and our children have been sacrificed.
Quote examples
Carrie Snow
American Comedian
Civilization is hideously fragile and there's not much between us and the horrors underneath, just about a coat of varnish.
Quote examples
Chris Christie
American Politician
Mom spent the time that she was supposed to be a kid actully raising children, her younger brother and younger sister. She was tough as nails and did not suffer fools at all. And the truth was she could not afford to. She spoke the truth, bluntly, directly, and without much varnish. I am her son.
Quote examples
Barry McGee
American Artist
For me, graffiti means making marks on surfaces using just about anything, be it markers, spray, paint, chalk, lipstick, varnish, ink. Or it can be the result of scratches and incisions. The aim is to maintain the energy created by disturbance or excitement in the street.
Quote examples
Andrew Lansley
British Politician
I was shadow health secretary for six years, and the beauty of being in opposition - if there is any beauty - is that you tend to get a pretty unvarnished view because no one bothers to paint the coal white before you turn up.
Quote examples
Edwin Catmull
American Scientist
A hallmark of a healthy creative culture is that its people feel free to share ideas, opinions, and criticisms. Our decision-making is better when we draw on the collective knowledge and unvarnished opinions of the group.
Quote examples
Laurie Graham
English Journalist
I'm thankful my parents obliged me to live with the unvarnished truth: I might not have been a looker, but I was a better speller than the prettiest girl in my class, and I was funnier, too.
Quote examples
John Rhys-Davies
Welsh Actor
I do not want to see a society where, should I ever have any, my granddaughters have their fingernails pulled out because they are wearing nail varnish.
Quote examples
Cenk Uygur
Turkish Lawyer
The older generation grew up on blow-dried anchors, plastic politicians, and an ocean of pretense. Realness seems unvarnished and unpolished to them.
Quote examples
Michael Arrington
American Businessman
I always try to find the truth in a situation. That unvarnished, pure nugget of truth at the core of every issue that I write about.
Quote examples
LeVar Burton
American Actor
The unvarnished truth is that we have spent the last decade funding the machinery of war, and our children have been sacrificed.
Quote examples
Carrie Snow
American Comedian
Civilization is hideously fragile and there's not much between us and the horrors underneath, just about a coat of varnish.
Example 1 of 10
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