embellish

verb

em·​bel·​lish im-ˈbe-lish How to pronounce embellish (audio)
embellished; embellishing; embellishes

transitive verb

1
: to make beautiful with ornamentation : decorate
a book embellished with illustrations
2
: to heighten the attractiveness of by adding decorative or fanciful details : enhance
embellished our account of the trip
embellisher noun

Did you know?

Embellish is related to the French word for "beautiful," bel, and, traditionally, it has been used to imply beautifying an object with the addition of things unessential. That's still true; however, it is equally appealing as an adjective for making statements or stories sound more entertaining.

Choose the Right Synonym for embellish

adorn, decorate, ornament, embellish, beautify, deck, garnish mean to enhance the appearance of something by adding something unessential.

adorn implies an enhancing by something beautiful in itself.

a diamond necklace adorned her neck

decorate suggests relieving plainness or monotony by adding beauty of color or design.

decorate a birthday cake

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

, embellish often stressing the adding of superfluous or adventitious ornament.

embellish a page with floral borders

beautify adds to embellish a suggestion of counterbalancing plainness or ugliness.

will beautify the grounds with flower beds

deck implies the addition of something that contributes to gaiety, splendor, or showiness.

a house all decked out for Christmas

garnish suggests decorating with a small final touch and is used especially in referring to the serving of food.

an entrée garnished with parsley

Examples of embellish in a Sentence

a book embellished with colorful illustrations He embellished his speech with a few quotations.
Recent Examples on the Web Sometimes Biden’s ambition nearly derailed his career; in 1987, his first run for President ended abruptly after he was found to have embellished his biography and used other politicians’ lines in his speeches. Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 The actress turned heads in a Miu Miu embellished sheath gown. Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 19 Feb. 2024 Award-winning chef Christopher Gross's restaurant is about attention to details, from chargers embellished with the chef's drawings to dishes served on a sculpted hand modeled after the chef's life partner to secret compartments for flatware, not to mention to food itself. Bahar Anooshahr, The Arizona Republic, 15 Feb. 2024 The September 2023 New Yorker reported that Minhaj embellished anecdotes in his standup material. Jessica Wang, EW.com, 13 Feb. 2024 Marque, a swirling black-and-white ’70s print, was selected from Desmond & Dempsey’s latest collection to embellish the wicker seat’s cushion. Jo Rodgers Jameson Montgomery Roxanne Fequiere Emilia Petrarca Kate Guadagnino Sophie Bew, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2024 Seated next to her mother, Tina Knowles, Beyoncé wore a platinum two-piece pantsuit embellished with extravagant silver jewels. Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 16 Feb. 2024 Featuring pendants and other pieces embellished with iconic motifs including the Monogram flower, the collection is named for Gaston Louis Vuitton, grandson of the house’s founder and a man celebrated for his personal style. Laurie Brookins, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2024 On February 11, Mahomes arrived at Allegiant Stadium to cheer on husband Patrick Mahomes in a strapless red latex jumpsuit complete with a corseted top and pants embellished with their last name and his jersey number, 15. Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 12 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French embeliss-, stem of embelir, from en- + bel beautiful — more at beauty

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of embellish was in the 14th century

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Dictionary Entries Near embellish

Cite this Entry

“Embellish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/embellish. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

embellish

verb
em·​bel·​lish im-ˈbel-ish How to pronounce embellish (audio)
: to make beautiful with ornamentation : decorate
a book embellished with pictures
embellishment
-mənt
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on embellish

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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