tinsel

(redirected from tinsels)
Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms, Encyclopedia.

tin·sel

 (tĭn′səl)
n.
1. Very thin sheets, strips, or threads of a glittering material used as a decoration.
2. Something sparkling or showy but basically valueless: the tinsel of parties and promotional events.
adj.
1. Made of or decorated with tinsel.
2. Gaudy, showy, and basically valueless.
tr.v. tin·seled, tin·sel·ing, tin·sels or tin·selled or tin·sel·ling
1. To decorate with or as if with tinsel: tinsel a Christmas tree.
2. To give a false sparkle to.

[Middle English tineseile, from Old French estincelle, spangle, spark; see stencil.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

tinsel

(ˈtɪnsəl)
n
1. a decoration consisting of a piece of string with thin strips of metal foil attached along its length
2. (Textiles) a yarn or fabric interwoven with strands of glittering thread
3. anything cheap, showy, and gaudy
vb (tr) , -sels, -selling or -selled, -sels, -seling or -seled
4. to decorate with or as if with tinsel: snow tinsels the trees.
5. to give a gaudy appearance to
adj
6. made of or decorated with tinsel
7. showily but cheaply attractive; gaudy
[C16: from Old French estincele a spark, from Latin scintilla; compare stencil]
ˈtinsel-ˌlike adj
ˈtinselly adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

tin•sel

(ˈtɪn səl)

n., adj., v. -seled, -sel•ing (esp. Brit.) -selled, -sel•ling. n.
1. a thin sheet, strip, or thread of glittering metal, paper, or plastic, used to produce a sparkling effect.
2. a metallic yarn for weaving brocade or lamé.
3. showy pretense.
adj.
4. consisting of tinsel.
5. gaudy; tawdry.
v.t.
6. to adorn with tinsel.
7. to adorn with anything glittering.
8. to make showy or gaudy.
[1495–1505; by aphesis < Middle French estincelle a spark, flash < Vulgar Latin *stincilla, metathetic variant of Latin scintilla spark; orig. used attributively in phrases tinsel satin, tinsel cloth]
tin′sel•ly, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

tinsel


Past participle: tinselled
Gerund: tinselling

Imperative
tinsel
tinsel
Present
I tinsel
you tinsel
he/she/it tinsels
we tinsel
you tinsel
they tinsel
Preterite
I tinselled
you tinselled
he/she/it tinselled
we tinselled
you tinselled
they tinselled
Present Continuous
I am tinselling
you are tinselling
he/she/it is tinselling
we are tinselling
you are tinselling
they are tinselling
Present Perfect
I have tinselled
you have tinselled
he/she/it has tinselled
we have tinselled
you have tinselled
they have tinselled
Past Continuous
I was tinselling
you were tinselling
he/she/it was tinselling
we were tinselling
you were tinselling
they were tinselling
Past Perfect
I had tinselled
you had tinselled
he/she/it had tinselled
we had tinselled
you had tinselled
they had tinselled
Future
I will tinsel
you will tinsel
he/she/it will tinsel
we will tinsel
you will tinsel
they will tinsel
Future Perfect
I will have tinselled
you will have tinselled
he/she/it will have tinselled
we will have tinselled
you will have tinselled
they will have tinselled
Future Continuous
I will be tinselling
you will be tinselling
he/she/it will be tinselling
we will be tinselling
you will be tinselling
they will be tinselling
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been tinselling
you have been tinselling
he/she/it has been tinselling
we have been tinselling
you have been tinselling
they have been tinselling
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been tinselling
you will have been tinselling
he/she/it will have been tinselling
we will have been tinselling
you will have been tinselling
they will have been tinselling
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been tinselling
you had been tinselling
he/she/it had been tinselling
we had been tinselling
you had been tinselling
they had been tinselling
Conditional
I would tinsel
you would tinsel
he/she/it would tinsel
we would tinsel
you would tinsel
they would tinsel
Past Conditional
I would have tinselled
you would have tinselled
he/she/it would have tinselled
we would have tinselled
you would have tinselled
they would have tinselled
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.tinsel - a showy decoration that is basically valueless; "all the tinsel of self-promotion"
decoration, ornament, ornamentation - something used to beautify
2.tinsel - a thread with glittering metal foil attached
thread, yarn - a fine cord of twisted fibers (of cotton or silk or wool or nylon etc.) used in sewing and weaving
Verb1.tinsel - impart a cheap brightness to; "his tinseled image of Hollywood"
contribute, lend, impart, add, bestow, bring - bestow a quality on; "Her presence lends a certain cachet to the company"; "The music added a lot to the play"; "She brings a special atmosphere to our meetings"; "This adds a light note to the program"
2.tinsel - adorn with tinsel; "snow flakes tinseled the trees"
adorn, decorate, grace, ornament, embellish, beautify - make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.; "Decorate the room for the party"; "beautify yourself for the special day"
3.tinsel - interweave with tinsel; "tinseled velvet"
interweave, weave - interlace by or as if by weaving
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

tinsel

adjective showy, flashy, gaudy, cheap, plastic (slang), superficial, sham, tawdry, ostentatious, trashy, specious, gimcrack, meretricious, pinchbeck the tinsel image of a movie star
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

tinsel

adjective
Tastelessly showy:
Informal: tacky.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
بَهْرَجَانشَرائِط لامِعَه للزينَه
cetkalametapozlátkozlatý nebo stříbrný řetěz
flitterstads
joulukuusen koristenauha
’srebro’ za bor
aranylamélametta
glys, glingur
ティンセル
장식용 금속 조각
blizgučiai
spīgulisvizulis
lametapozlátko
glitter
สิ่งประดับแวววาว
dây kim tuyến

tinsel

[ˈtɪnsəl]
A. N (lit, fig) → oropel m; (= cloth) → lama f de oro/plata
B. ADJde oropel (fig) → de oropel, de relumbrón
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

tinsel

[ˈtɪnsəl] nguirlandes fpl de Noël (argentées)
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

tinsel

n
(= foil)Girlanden plaus Rauschgold etc; (on dress) → Lamé nt
(pej)Talmi nt (pej), → Tand m (geh)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

tinsel

[ˈtɪnsl] ndecorazioni fpl natalizie (argentate)
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

tinsel

(ˈtinsəl) noun
a sparkling, glittering substance used for decoration. The Christmas tree was decorated with tinsel.
ˈtinselly adjective
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

tinsel

بَهْرَجَان zlatý nebo stříbrný řetěz flitterstads Lametta ταινία από αλουμινόχαρτο cinta de colores, cintilla de colores joulukuusen koristenauha guirlande ’srebro’ za bor orpello ティンセル 장식용 금속 조각 kerstboomversiersel glitter błyskotka enfeite de ouropel, ouropel мишура glitter สิ่งประดับแวววาว gelin teli dây kim tuyến 金属箔
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in classic literature ?
Dolls that looked for all the world like men--the Tree had never beheld such before--were seen among the foliage, and at the very top a large star of gold tinsel was fixed.
Around four of the pillars, stalls of merchants, all sparkling with glass and tinsel; around the last three, benches of oak, worn and polished by the trunk hose of the litigants, and the robes of the attorneys.
He had been used to regarding his comrade as a blatant child with an audacity grown from his inexperience, thought- less, headstrong, jealous, and filled with a tinsel courage.