glossy

English

Etymology

gloss +‎ -y

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɡlɒsi/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɡlɔsi/
• (cot–caught merger, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈɡlɑsi/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒsi, -ɔːsi

Adjective

glossy (comparative glossier, superlative glossiest)

1. Having a smooth, silk-like, reflective surface.

   glossy hair

   glossy magazine

Antonyms

• matte

Derived terms

• glossy antshrike
• glossy ibis

Translations

having a reflective surface

• Armenian: ողորկ (hy) (ołork)
• Bashkir: ялтыр (yaltïr)
• Bulgarian: лъскав (bg) (lǎskav), полиран (bg) (poliran)
• Cebuano: sinawon
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 光澤 (zh), 光泽 (zh) (guāngzé)

• Czech: lesklý (cs) m
• Dutch: glanzend (nl)
• Finnish: kiiltävä (fi), kiilto-
• French: luisant (fr), brillant (fr)
• German: glänzend (de)
• Italian: lucido (it), patinato (it) m, luccicante (it) m

• Japanese: 艶やか (あでやか, adeyaka, つややか, tsuyayaka)
• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• Latin: lucens (la) m or f
• Maori: whakahinuhinu
• Norwegian: glanset
• Polish: lśniący (pl) m, błyszczący (pl) m
• Portuguese: lustroso (pt)
• Russian: гля́нцевый (ru) (gljáncevyj), блестя́щий (ru) (blestjáščij)
• Scottish Gaelic: gleansach
• Spanish: brillante (es), lustroso, reluciente
• Swedish: glansig (sv), glänsande (sv), blank (sv), blankpolerad
• Thai: มัน (th) (man), เงา (th) (ngao)
• Turkish: parlak (tr)

Noun

glossy (plural glossies)

1. (chiefly Britain, informal) A glossy magazine.

   The supermarket glossies are full of celebrity gossip and fad diets.

2. (informal) A glossy photograph.
   • 2013, Stacy Zemon, The DJ Sales and Marketing Handbook

     Black and white 8- × 10-inch glossies are best, but 5- × 7-inch is okay too. Place photos on top of cardboard when mailing. Don't tape or paper-clip because doing so can ruin the photo.

3. (film, informal) A film depicting people with glamorous lifestyles.
   • 1959, Film Review (page 102)

     Anna Magnani has been making Hollywood glossies recently, so it was good to see her back again in a native Italian production, The Last Temptation, in which with great artistry and all her usual power she played a Nun who finds a woman's and even a mother's heart beating strongly beneath her 'sister's' habit.

   • 1973, Films and Filming (volume 20, page 10)

     […] the first home-made guide to TV films by which is meant old films shown on the box, not those new Hollywood glossies made specially for it (though a guide there too would soon be welcome).