beautify
verb
transitive verb
intransitive verb
Synonyms
- adorn
- array
- bedeck
- bedizen
- blazon
- caparison
- deck
- decorate
- do
- do up
- doll up
- drape
- dress
- embellish
- emblaze
- emboss
- enrich
- fancify
- fancy up
- festoon
- garnish
- glitz (up)
- grace
- gussy up
- ornament
- pretty (up)
- trim
Example Sentences
Alison Cross, Hartford Courant, 30 July 2022 Mayor Mike Duggan and the Detroit Office of Arts, Culture & Entrepreneurship (ACE) announced a $3-million pilot plan on Wednesday to beautify alleys in five neighborhoods in an effort to combat blight and create gathering spaces. Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press, 28 July 2022 Roskill contributed to a project created by the Natick Center Cultural District to beautify and brighten downtown Natick through public art. Katie Mogg, BostonGlobe.com, 21 July 2022 San Antonio is giving residents a chance beautify the city — one brushstroke at a time. Caroline Tien, San Antonio Express-News, 27 June 2022 Riding high after the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, Chicago’s civic and business leaders were looking to permanently beautify their city. Chicago Tribune Staff, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2022 The work to beautify the streets and sidewalks in one of Atlanta’s most impoverished areas began in 2016 after then-Mayor Kasim Reed initially proposed it in 2013. Wilborn Nobles, ajc, 14 June 2022 The photographic image became—and remained for at least a century—a guiding ideal, offering scientists the possibility of representing the world without succumbing to the human temptation to interpret or beautify. Hari Kunzru, Harper’s Magazine , 22 June 2022 The Canal Street art hub is adorned with a bike sculpture, bench, and mural, while train murals beautify Centre Street. Cindy Cantrell, BostonGlobe.com, 16 June 2022 See More Word History
Middle English bewtyfien, from beaute beauty + -fien -fy
15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Kids Definition
beautify
verb
beautify
verb
Synonyms & Similar Words
- adorn
- decorate
- enrich
- embellish
- drape
- trim
- ornament
- grace
- dress
- paint
- festoon
- deck
- bedeck
- garnish
- fancify
- array
- emboss
- caparison
- do
- brighten
- doll up
- blazon
- accessorize
- bedizen
- gussy up
- freshen
- fancy up
- emblaze
- glitz (up)
- pretty (up)
- embroider
- smarten
- do up
- trap
- gild
- chase
- garland
- figure
- ribbon
- dress up
- hang
- braid
- jewel
- frill
- fillet
- redecorate
- filigree
- fringe
- appliqué
- wreathe
- trick (out)
- swag
- gem
- feather
- diamond
- redo
- boss
- lace
- pearl
- flounce
- spruce (up)
- furbelow
- impearl
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- disfigure
- simplify
- deface
- streamline
- spoil
- mar
- scar
- display
- reveal
- dismantle
- expose
- uncover
- blemish
- bare
- strip
- denude
- divest
- uglify
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of beautify are adorn, deck, decorate, embellish, garnish, and ornament. While all these words mean "to enhance the appearance of something by adding something unessential," beautify adds to embellish a suggestion of counterbalancing plainness or ugliness.
Although the words adorn and beautify have much in common, adorn implies an enhancing by something beautiful in itself.
In some situations, the words deck and beautify are roughly equivalent. However, deck implies the addition of something that contributes to gaiety, splendor, or showiness.
The synonyms decorate and beautify are sometimes interchangeable, but decorate suggests relieving plainness or monotony by adding beauty of color or design.
The meanings of embellish and beautify largely overlap; however, embellish often stresses the adding of superfluous or adventitious ornament.
While in some cases nearly identical to beautify, garnish suggests decorating with a small final touch and is used especially in referring to the serving of food.
Both ornament and embellish imply the adding of something extraneous, ornament stressing the heightening or setting off of the original.