adorn
verb
ə-ˈdȯrn 
adorned; adorning; adorns
transitive verb
1
: to enhance the appearance of especially with beautiful objects
adorned the wall with her paintings
2
: to enliven or decorate as if with ornaments
people of fashion who adorned the Court
Synonyms
- array
- beautify
- 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
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Her paintings adorn the walls. the Sultan's tent was richly adorned with thick tapestries and gleaming gold candlesticks
Recent Examples on the Web Hats, gloves, and sweaters with complex color sequences adorn hooks in the lookout. 
Noah Davis, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Aug. 2022 Meanwhile bucolic scenes adorn bakeries, stables, barns and hotels, including the historic Hotel Wolf and tavern Zum Turm. Silvia Marchetti, CNN, 11 Aug. 2022 Jackets in the new collection had a bell shape that hovered over mini skits; straight coats had built-in capes, worn over short flouncy skirts; flat bows adorn shift dresses on the straps or across the front. Colleen Barry, ajc, 26 Feb. 2022 The cabinets were painted vibrant blue, and antique Portuguese plates adorn the walls. Sofia Quintero, ELLE Decor, 3 Aug. 2022 Artworks often adorn our walls and sit on our mantels and shelves. Jamie Gold, Forbes, 17 May 2022 Championship banners for such winners as Evil Geniuses and powerhouse Team SoloMid adorn the walls. Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2022 Nostalgic murals and artwork adorn the walls of the space. Anne Nickoloff, cleveland, 9 Mar. 2022 Billboards of Gu posing for brands adorn the walls of supermarkets, elevators, subway stations and airports. Rachel Bachman, WSJ, 13 Feb. 2022 See More
Noah Davis, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Aug. 2022 Meanwhile bucolic scenes adorn bakeries, stables, barns and hotels, including the historic Hotel Wolf and tavern Zum Turm. Silvia Marchetti, CNN, 11 Aug. 2022 Jackets in the new collection had a bell shape that hovered over mini skits; straight coats had built-in capes, worn over short flouncy skirts; flat bows adorn shift dresses on the straps or across the front. Colleen Barry, ajc, 26 Feb. 2022 The cabinets were painted vibrant blue, and antique Portuguese plates adorn the walls. Sofia Quintero, ELLE Decor, 3 Aug. 2022 Artworks often adorn our walls and sit on our mantels and shelves. Jamie Gold, Forbes, 17 May 2022 Championship banners for such winners as Evil Geniuses and powerhouse Team SoloMid adorn the walls. Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2022 Nostalgic murals and artwork adorn the walls of the space. Anne Nickoloff, cleveland, 9 Mar. 2022 Billboards of Gu posing for brands adorn the walls of supermarkets, elevators, subway stations and airports. Rachel Bachman, WSJ, 13 Feb. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English aournen, adournen, borrowed from Anglo-French aurner, adourner (with d restored from Latin), going back to Latin adōrnāre "to get ready, prepare, decorate, embellish," from ad- ad- + ōrnāre "to prepare, equip, embellish" — more at ornate
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
adorn
verb
ə-ˈdȯrn
adorned; adorning
: to make more attractive by adding something
Paintings adorn the walls.
adorning 1 of 2
adjective
as in decorative
serving to add beauty adorning garlands of greenery can be seen all over the mansion at Christmastime Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- decorative
- ornamental
- beautifying
- embellishing
- beautiful
- cosmetic
- lovely
- gorgeous
- charming
- appealing
- ornate
- attractive
- pleasing
- delightful
- alluring
- fancy
- prepossessing
- stunning
- comely
- beauteous
- glamorous
- handsome
- elaborate
- pretty
- detailed
- glamourous
- bonny
- bonnie
- fair
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- functional
- utilitarian
adorning
2 of 2verb
as in decorating
to make more attractive by adding something that is beautiful or becoming the Sultan's tent was richly adorned with thick tapestries and gleaming gold candlesticks Synonyms & Similar Words
- decorating
- draping
- ornamenting
- gracing
- festooning
- beautifying
- bedecking
- trimming
- embellishing
- dressing
- painting
- garnishing
- enriching
- decking
- blazoning
- arraying
- embossing
- doing
- gussying up
- bedizening
- doing up
- fancifying
- emblazing
- accessorizing
- embroidering
- dolling up
- caparisoning
- hanging
- brightening
- trapping
- fancying up
- garlanding
- smartening
- chasing
- freshening
- glitzing (up)
- ribboning
- wreathing
- braiding
- swagging
- prettying (up)
- flouncing
- frilling
- gilding
- fringing
- appliquéing
- bossing
- jeweling
- figuring
- redoing
- dressing up
- filleting
- redecorating
- lacing
- feathering
- jewelling
- filigreeing
- tricking (out)
- impearling
- diamonding
- sprucing (up)
- furbelowing
- pearling
- gemming
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- defacing
- displaying
- marring
- disfiguring
- spoiling
- revealing
- simplifying
- streamlining
- exposing
- stripping
- baring
- scarring
- dismantling
- uncovering
- blemishing
- denuding
- divesting
- uglifying