adornment

noun adorn·ment \ -mənt \

|Updated on: 14 Jul 2018

Examples: adornment in a Sentence

Definition of adornment

1 : the action of adorning : the state of being adorned

2 : something that adorns

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See adornment defined for kids

Examples of adornment in a Sentence

the adornment of the walls with her paintings
Her room doesn't have any unnecessary adornments.
The entrance to the building has little adornment.

Recent Examples of adornment from the Web

The Emerald Necklace, Boston’s 7-mile pendant of parks built in the 19th century, will soon have a new adornment: a string of artworks made from water vapor.

— graham ambrose, BostonGlobe.com, "‘Fog sculptures’ to adorn Emerald Necklace," 24 June 2018
For a bit more flair, spring for Prada’s cartoonish duffel or Gucci’s classic shape with floral adornments.

— madeline fass, Vogue, "15 Chic Duffel Bags to Pack for Your Fourth of July Getaway," 21 June 2018
The intimate area is decorated with rustic adornments.

— ben brazil, latimes.com, "Manassero Farms preserves its link to Orange County’s past," 17 May 2018
This version incorporated modern elements such as sheer cutouts, an off-the-shoulder neckline and Swarovski crystals and pearls adornments.

— colleen kratofil, PEOPLE.com, "Beyoncé Wears Galia Lahav Wedding Dress for Apparent Vow Renewal to Jay-Z: All the Details," 8 June 2018
Bikes in Bloom is a garden art project for Milford businesses and residents where bicycles and tricycles are decorated with flowers, plants and other colorful adornments.

— sheila vilvens, Cincinnati.com, "Milford bike shop Bishop's wants its clown back, please," 5 June 2018
About the piece: Jae’Lisa created the piece as an assignment following the study of artist Erica Rose Levine, famous for portraits of women with various adornments.

— elaine rooker jack, The Courier-Journal, "Atherton graduate wins national Scholastic Gold Medal for illustration," 1 June 2018
For Markle's and Prince Harry's wedding, Queen Elizabeth II donned a gorgeous green coat over a floral dress with green and purple flowers, as well as a green hat with purple adornments.

— Southern Living, "This Color Is Having a Moment in the Royal Family," 23 May 2018
Adding solar and wind as adornments to a basically functioning grid is one thing.

— holman w. jenkins, WSJ, "New York’s Green Energy Roulette," 15 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'adornment.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of adornment

Middle English adornement, borrowed from Anglo-French aurnement, from aurner, adourner "to adorn" + -ment -ment

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

adornment Synonyms

Synonyms

beautifier, caparison, decoration, doodad, embellisher, embellishment, frill, garnish, garniture, ornament, ornamentation, setoff, trim;

Near Antonyms

blemish, defacement, disfigurement, scar;

blot, spot, stain;

flounce, flourish, furbelow, ruffle;

enhancement, enrichment, improvement;

appliqué, embossment, embroidery, fancywork;

bedizenment, gilt, glitter;

design, figure, pattern;

furnishings, regalia, trappings;

ADORNMENT Defined for English Language Learners

adornment

noun

Definition of adornment for English Language Learners

: the act or process of making someone or something attractive by decorating : the act or process of adorning someone or something
: something added to make a person or thing more attractive