a magazine printed on good quality paper
"The glossy magazine featured high-resolution photos of luxury cars."
a photograph that is printed on smooth shiny paper
"The glossy photograph reflected the sunlight, making the colors appear even more vibrant than they did in person."
A glossy magazine.
"She enjoyed flipping through the glossy pages of her favorite fashion magazine while waiting for coffee."
based on pretense; deceptively pleasing
"the gilded and perfumed but inwardly rotten nobility"
"meretricious praise"
"a meretricious argument"
(of paper and fabric and leather) having a surface made smooth and shiny especially by pressing between rollers
"calendered paper"
"glossy paper"
Having a smooth, silk-like, reflective surface.
"The cat rubbed its glossy fur against my hand, feeling like soft velvet under the light."
In plain English: Glossy means having a shiny, smooth surface that reflects light brightly.
"The glossy magazine reflected the bright sunlight in her hands."
Usage: Use glossy to describe surfaces that are both smooth and highly reflective, such as magazine pages or polished floors. Avoid using it interchangeably with shiny when referring only to light reflection without the implied texture of slickness.
The word glossy combines the root gloss, meaning a shiny surface or coating, with the suffix -y to indicate possession of that quality. It entered English as a straightforward formation describing something that is smooth and reflective like varnished wood or polished metal.