sheen

¹

[ sheen ]

noun

1. luster; brightness; radiance.
2. gleaming attire.

adjective

1. shining.
2. beautiful.

verb (used without object)

1. Scot. and North England. to shine.

Sheen

²

[ sheen ]

noun

1. Fulton (John), 1895–1979, U.S. Roman Catholic clergyman, writer, and teacher.

sheen

/ ʃiːn /

noun

1. a gleaming or glistening brightness; lustre
2. poetic.
   splendid clothing

adjective

1. rare.
   shining and beautiful; radiant

Derived Forms

• ˈsheeny, adjective

Other Words From

• sheenful adjective
• sheenless adjective
• sheenly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of sheen¹

First recorded before 900; (adjective) Middle English sheene “beautiful, bright, shining,” Old English scēne; cognate with German schön; (verb) Middle English s(c)henen, derivative of the adjective; (noun) derivative of the adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sheen¹

Old English sciene; related to Old Norse skjōni white horse, Gothic skauns beautiful, Old High German scōni bright

Synonym Study

See polish.

Example Sentences

At Jezebel, Jia Tolentino said the regimented, precision-edged sheen of the same concert tour made her think of Swift as “an animated mannequin, a Rockette on XR Adderall.”

From Vox

The icy sheen on sidewalks and driveways makes the mere act of walking extremely hazardous.

From Washington Post

They’ll likely lose a few followers after the sheen wears off.

From Outside Online

If you took away the sheen of HBO, the nudity and the British setting, much of “Industry’s” sudsiness would have been right at home in a prime-time Shondaland slot at ABC in recent years.

From Washington Post

Made of strong ceramic and glazed with a metallic gold sheen, this is a mug that commands attention even before you notice the embedded Infinity Stones.

From Popular-Science

Michael Sheen on his psychologically rigorous role in Masters of Sex—and his romance with Sarah Silverman.

From The Daily Beast

Sheen plays Bill Masters as a doctor with a God complex, if God had been a sex researcher masking tons of insecurities.

From The Daily Beast

Sheen saw this coming because he has always taken the long view of his character.

From The Daily Beast

As wily as his character when asked about it, Sheen proved himself to be a master of the media, feinting with a good sound bite.

From The Daily Beast

In his rendition Charlie Sheen stands in a foyer and overturns a bucket filled with checks, not ice water.

From The Daily Beast

He knew that this elegant city, resplendent and glorious in the sheen of the setting sun, would soon be a living hell.

From Project Gutenberg

I like sus-sus-pen-sheen bridges that fly from bank to bank, with one big step, like a gang-plank.

From Project Gutenberg

When he woke he wondered where he was; but as through the porthole he saw the sheen of the sea he remembered everything.

From Project Gutenberg

A small palm tree was set in the midst of the arena,—the trunk bronze, the leaves one sheen of gold-foil.

From Project Gutenberg

It is probably the bright sheen of the water that draws the fluttering moths into its depths.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• glaze
• gleam
• gloss
• luster
• patina
• shimmer