What does glazed mean?
Glazed means covered with a smooth, glossy coating, most often a sugary icing on food or a glass-like finish on ceramic or metal objects. The adjective also has a figurative use for eyes or expressions that seem fixed, dull, or absent, as in 'glazed eyes.' A glazed surface reflects light and can suggest smoothness, richness, or careful presentation, while the figurative sense often conveys shock, fatigue, or emotional detachment. The related verb 'glaze' describes applying such a coating: a baker may glaze a pastry, and a potter may glaze a bowl before firing it. Although 'glazed' can sound close to 'gazed,' the words are distinct: 'gazed' means looked steadily, while 'glazed' concerns a coating or a glass-like appearance. Glazed is equally natural in British and American English.
Covered with a glossy coating or having a smooth, glass-like surface; figuratively, having a fixed or vacant appearance.
"The museum displayed a glazed ceramic bowl beside several unglazed pieces."
Common in food preparation and ceramics; 'glazed eyes' is a figurative expression describing a fixed or vacant look.
To cover something with glaze or give it a smooth, glass-like finish.
"The potter glazed the bowl in deep blue before placing it in the kiln."
The verb is especially associated with food, pottery, glassware, and tiles.
Glazed can describe a shiny pastry, a polished ceramic bowl, or eyes that have gone glassy with shock.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does glazed come from?
The word developed in Middle English from forms associated with Old French glacer, meaning to make glassy or smooth. Its history is connected with 'glass' and ultimately with Latin, which supplied the word for the material whose transparency and smooth surface the English word evokes. In modern English, the verb 'glaze' retains the meanings of applying a coating and making a surface smooth or glass-like.
Related word forms
How glazed is actually used
The word is especially common in descriptions of food and ceramics. The figurative expression 'glazed over' usually refers to eyes becoming fixed or dull, often because of shock, exhaustion, illness, or lack of attention.
Easily confused with glazed
Glazed means covered or made glossy with a coating, whereas gazed means looked steadily at something.