gossamer
noun
gos·sa·mer
| \ ˈgä-sə-mər also ˈgäz-mər
, ˈgä-zə-\
, ˈgä-zə-\
Definition of gossamer
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: a film of cobwebs floating in air in calm clear weather
2
: something light, delicate, or insubstantial
the gossamer of youth's dreams— Andrea Parke
gossamer
adjectiveDefinition of gossamer (Entry 2 of 2)
: extremely light, delicate, or tenuous
a gossamer white veil
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Other Words from gossamer
Noun
gossamery
\ ˈgä-sə-mə-rē
also ˈgäz-mə- , ˈgä-zə- \
adjective
also ˈgäz-mə- , ˈgä-zə- \
adjective
Synonyms & Antonyms for gossamer
Synonyms: Adjective
cobwebby, filmy, flimsy, frothy, gauzy, gossamery, insubstantial, sleazy, unsubstantial
Antonyms: Adjective
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Examples of gossamer in a Sentence
Noun
a butterfly's wings of gossamerAdjective
fairies are usually depicted as wearing gossamer or tattered clothing the gossamer veil seemed to float about the bride as she walked down the aisle
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
In bridal wear, quality is of the essence, be it in the form of a rich brocade, a decadent velvet, a fine silk or in this case, a gossamer, glitter-flecked tulle. — Christian Oth, Harper's BAZAAR, "17 Non-Traditional Gowns For the Renegade Bride," 1 Nov. 2018 In bridal wear, quality is of the essence, be it in the form of a rich brocade, a decadent velvet, a fine silk or in this case, a gossamer, glitter-flecked tulle. — Christian Oth, Harper's BAZAAR, "17 Non-Traditional Gowns For the Renegade Bride," 1 Nov. 2018 The huge string choirs varied their sound bracingly, from dense earthiness to gossamer. — David Mermelstein, WSJ, "The Czech Philharmonic’s Global Ambitions," 31 Oct. 2018 In bridal wear, quality is of the essence, be it in the form of a rich brocade, a decadent velvet, a fine silk or in this case, a gossamer, glitter-flecked tulle. — Christian Oth, Harper's BAZAAR, "17 Non-Traditional Gowns For the Renegade Bride," 1 Nov. 2018 The images feature Rodarte darlings Grimes, Chloe x Halle, Kim Gordon, Rowan Blanchard, (an expecting) Kirsten Dunst, and more in Kate and Laura Mulleavy's gossamer ready-to-wear confections. — Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, "Flower Shower: The Story Behind Rodarte’s Dreamy Floral Umbrellas," 1 Feb. 2018 The tracks have a gossamer-like quality that is atmospheric and subtly insistent. — Jim Fusilli, WSJ, "‘Aromanticism’ by Moses Sumney Review:," 21 Sep. 2017 In the fourth variation, Prokofiev takes the sprightly rhythms of the opening theme’s first three notes and spins them into gossamer. — Barbara Jepson, WSJ, "A Soloist’s Long Awaited Return," 25 Oct. 2017 The Yankees held that strange gossamer of an 8-3 lead when Chad Green faced Lonnie Chisenhall with two outs and two runners on in the sixth. — Tom Verducci, SI.com, "Indians Turn Cleveland Into Land of True Belief," 7 Oct. 2017Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
His seat also allows him to be warmed by the first rays of the morning sun that outline his delicate features and ignite his rapidly fluttering wings with a gossamer glow. — Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: Highlight of morning is visit with special guest," 31 Aug. 2019 The striker posed with what is now her trademark celebration, but the referee called VAR into play, and though the margin was gossamer thin, replays did show that the striker was offside. — Aimee Lewis, CNN, "USWNT advances to Women's World Cup final with narrow win over England," 2 July 2019 Tucked inside its massive nose cone, among two dozen other satellites, sat a tiny spacecraft: a bread-loaf-sized device designed to propel itself by gossamer sails that harness the pressure of sunlight. — Amy Thompson, Smithsonian, "LightSail 2 Launches to Space to Soar on the Power of Sunshine," 25 June 2019 When a gossamer evening bag is on the packing list, it may be relocated to the top of the less rough and tumble clothing suitcase. — Luzanne Otte, Town & Country, "Patricia Altschul's Very Specific Guide to Traveling in Style," 18 May 2019 The gown’s subtly sequined plunging bodice was offset by its layered gossamer sleeves, and the diaphanous silk chiffon was the perfect ground for Saab’s painterly print of spring blooms. — Roberta Gorin-paracka, Teen Vogue, "Lily Collins Wears Floral Elie Saab Gown at Art of Elysium's "Heaven" Gala," 6 Jan. 2019 Slim though this volume is, there’s sometimes a sense of straining, as if Mr. Epstein were casting too wide a gossamer net. — Thomas Vinciguerra, WSJ, "‘Charm’ Review: The Most Pleasing Personality," 11 Oct. 2018 But that, plus the ongoing chase after Ghost, is just a gossamer excuse for Reed to construct action set pieces that play with scale in all sorts of inventive ways, and inject them with witty banter. — David Sims, The Atlantic, "Ant-Man and the Wasp," 5 July 2018 While Sun Speak often follows suit, the duo isn’t afraid of some scuffed-up, slightly rude accompaniment that underlines the gossamer fineness of her singing. — Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader, "Instrumental duo Sun Speak gets a voice through a crystalline collaboration with Portuguese jazz singer Sara Serpa," 3 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gossamer.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for gossamer
gossamer
noun
English Language Learners Definition of gossamer
: a piece of a spider's web
literary
: a very light or delicate material
See the full definition for gossamer in the English Language Learners Dictionary
gossamer
noun
gos·sa·mer
| \ ˈgä-sə-mər
, -zÉ™-\
, -zÉ™-\
Kids Definition of gossamer
: a film of cobwebs floating in the air