Synonym Chooser

How is the word beautify different from other verbs like it?

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.

will beautify the grounds with flower beds

Where would adorn be a reasonable alternative to beautify?

Although the words adorn and beautify have much in common, adorn implies an enhancing by something beautiful in itself.

a diamond necklace adorned her neck

When is deck a more appropriate choice than beautify?

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.

a house all decked out for Christmas

When could decorate be used to replace beautify?

The synonyms decorate and beautify are sometimes interchangeable, but decorate suggests relieving plainness or monotony by adding beauty of color or design.

decorate a birthday cake

When is it sensible to use embellish instead of beautify?

The meanings of embellish and beautify largely overlap; however, embellish often stresses the adding of superfluous or adventitious ornament.

embellish a page with floral borders

When can garnish be used instead of beautify?

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.

an entrée garnished with parsley

How do ornament and embellish relate to one another, in the sense of beautify?

Both ornament and embellish imply the adding of something extraneous, ornament stressing the heightening or setting off of the original.

a white house ornamented with green shutters

Examples of beautify in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The nearly $800,000 project will include colorful steel benches, street signages and informational makers as well as decorative planters, bike racks and trash receptacles in an effort to beautify and brand the Bronzeville community. La Risa R. Lynch, Journal Sentinel, 23 May 2024 City workers have spent months beautifying downtown and making preparations across the city, from sidewalk repairs to new signs and better lighting. Olivia Olander, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2024 In addition to giving you a sweet harvest, these trees can beautify your outdoor space with their blossoms in spring and colorful fruit and leaves in summer and fall. Anne Readel, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Aug. 2024 Its purpose is to promote a sense of community pride and begin cleaning, putting flowers, and beautifying the cemetery. Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for beautify 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'beautify.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Thesaurus Entries Near beautify

Cite this Entry

“Beautify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beautify. Accessed 20 Sep. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on beautify

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