ornament
1 of 2noun
called also embellishment, fioritura
ornament
2 of 2verb
transitive verb
Synonyms
Noun
- adornment
- beautifier
- caparison
- decoration
- doodad
- embellisher
- embellishment
- frill
- garnish
- garnishment
- garniture
- ornamentation
- setoff
- trim
Verb
- adorn
- 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
- pretty (up)
- trim
Example Sentences
Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2022 Simply add a name and pick from several different designs to customize this wooden ornament to your liking. Ysolt Usigan, Woman's Day, 16 Aug. 2022 Choose you and your sister's hairstyles, hair colors and skin tones to truly customized this sweet ornament. Michelle Manetti, Good Housekeeping, 11 July 2022 The popular Holiday Express Train and walk-through ornament also will return. Carol Kovach, cleveland, 23 Aug. 2022 This gift is both a baby block and a tree ornament. Annie O’sullivan, Woman's Day, 6 May 2022 Karlie Kloss in a diamond hair ornament and pieces from Muzo including Muzo Nova Collection 18K antique style earrings with round Muzo emeralds and round brilliant diamonds. Beth Bernstein, Forbes, 3 May 2022 Although Zellweger was not in any of the pictures, Anstead did honor their relationship with a special ornament. Jessica Booth, Peoplemag, 16 Aug. 2022 Sarah even made her own fascinator from a children’s flower ornament and other materials from Hobby Lobby. Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, 6 May 2022 Roxanne Adamiyatt, Town & Country, 20 May 2022 Dancing flames cast an orange glow on the side of the boy’s face; silhouettes of bare trees ornament the distance. Clint Smith, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2022 The key turned out to be feathers, which have long been known to ornament many cavity-loving species’ nests. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 16 Nov. 2021 The Baroque Hôtel d’Ecquevilly, built in 1638 as a private residence for a Parisian aristocrat, was later the home of Louis XV’s master of the hunt, who commissioned the elaborate bas-reliefs of boars and dogs that still ornament its exterior. New York Times, 7 Sep. 2021 The picture that has emerged is of an aging emperor, surrounded by a harem of nubile women paid to ornament his dinner table, boost his ego, and dance around in their underpants. Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2021 The second-floor master suite incorporates a bedroom with new oak floors, a bow window and a walk-in closet with mirrored doors ornamented with etched glass. Julie Lasky, New York Times, 13 May 2020 In the 1920s, Cleveland’s wealthy lined Shaker Boulevard in Shaker Heights and Fairmount Boulevard in Cleveland Heights with richly ornamented, neo-Tudor or neoclassical mansions that openly flaunt the wealth of their owners. Steven Litt, cleveland, 3 May 2020 This is the basic three-color version of the bread plate, but there was also a six-color variant and a version ornamented with opaque maiolica glazes. Catherine Bindman, The New York Review of Books, 17 Apr. 2020 See More Word History
Noun
Middle English, from Anglo-French urnement, ornement, from Latin ornamentum, from ornare
Noun
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1650, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing ornament
Kids Definition
ornament 1 of 2
noun
ornament
2 of 2verb
ornament 1 of 2
noun
Synonyms & Similar Words
- decoration
- ornamentation
- adornment
- embellishment
- trim
- garniture
- glitter
- garnish
- doodad
- frill
- embroidery
- embellisher
- beautifier
- caparison
- filigree
- setoff
- garnishment
- design
- apparel
- frosting
- furnishings
- finery
- pattern
- enhancement
- appliqué
- improvement
- enrichment
- frippery
- flourish
- ruffle
- gilt
- bells and whistles
- furbelow
- emblazonry
- fancywork
- blazonry
- froufrou
- embossment
- foofaraw
- flounce
- bric-a-brac
- chichi
- trappings
- regalia
- figure
- bedizenment
- fal-lal
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- scar
- blemish
- disfigurement
- stain
- spot
- defacement
- blot
ornament
2 of 2verb
Synonyms & Similar Words
- decorate
- adorn
- drape
- trim
- dress
- embellish
- grace
- festoon
- deck
- paint
- garnish
- beautify
- emboss
- array
- enrich
- caparison
- doll up
- bedeck
- blazon
- bedizen
- emblaze
- garland
- fancify
- filigree
- ribbon
- embroider
- gussy up
- glitz (up)
- do
- accessorize
- fancy up
- jewel
- appliqué
- wreathe
- trap
- do up
- frill
- pretty (up)
- brighten
- braid
- feather
- lace
- swag
- diamond
- figure
- fringe
- gild
- dress up
- fillet
- pearl
- furbelow
- gem
- hang
- freshen
- chase
- boss
- flounce
- smarten
- trick (out)
- spruce (up)
- redo
- impearl
- redecorate
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- scar
- display
- disfigure
- spoil
- simplify
- deface
- mar
- blemish
- streamline
- strip
- reveal
- bare
- dismantle
- expose
- uncover
- divest
- denude
- uglify
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of ornament are adorn, beautify, deck, decorate, embellish, and garnish. While all these words mean "to enhance the appearance of something by adding something unessential," ornament and embellish imply the adding of something extraneous, ornament stressing the heightening or setting off of the original.
The synonyms adorn and ornament are sometimes interchangeable, but adorn implies an enhancing by something beautiful in itself.
Beautify adds to embellish a suggestion of counterbalancing plainness or ugliness.
In some situations, the words deck and ornament are roughly equivalent. However, deck implies the addition of something that contributes to gaiety, splendor, or showiness.
While in some cases nearly identical to ornament, decorate suggests relieving plainness or monotony by adding beauty of color or design.
The words embellish and ornament are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, embellish often stresses the adding of superfluous or adventitious ornament.
Although the words garnish and ornament have much in common, garnish suggests decorating with a small final touch and is used especially in referring to the serving of food.