adorn

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verb \ ə-ˈdȯrn \

Definition of adorn

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

See adorn defined for English-language learners

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Examples of adorn in a Sentence

Her paintings adorn the walls.
the Sultan's tent was richly adorned with thick tapestries and gleaming gold candlesticks

Recent Examples of adorn from the Web

Many shoppers are in the dark about what these claims really mean, even as Whole Foods adorns its meat department with information about its food certification.

— deena shanker, Bloomberg.com, "That Chicken From Whole Foods Isn’t So Special Anymore," 14 Aug. 2017
Photos of flowers, seashells and the ocean adorn cream-colored walls.

— claudia boyd-barrett, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Hospitals focus on baby boomers and elderly, but will it boost patients' health and save money?," 30 July 2017
The vessel could have adorned the city's downtown Riverwalk and moved up and down the branches of the Chicago River, entertaining audiences on shore.

— blair kamin, chicagotribune.com, "With push from Yo-Yo Ma, floating concert hall may end up in N.Y.," 18 July 2017
Just beyond the 1908 Mission Revival house lies a full acre of lush green lawn adorned with pillared steps and a traditional Japanese shrine that offers a more chill socialization scene.

— marielle wakim, Los Angeles Magazine, "Best of LA: 92 of Our Favorite Things to Eat, Do, and Buy Right Now," 14 July 2017
One ruled by a mad queen who has adorned her entire dominion in Shaker cabinets and glass backsplashes that recur in the bathroom.

— vanityfair.com, "Did a Car Accident Reveal a Darker Side of HGTV’s Biggest Hit?," 10 July 2017
The church's sanctuary area is adorned in the traditional Byzantine style and includes large frescos painted in Greece.

— frank vaisvilas, Daily Southtown, "Delicacies, dancing mark century of St. Spyridon church," 9 July 2017
Alex Rodriguez, the top pick of the 1993 out of Westminster Christian High whose name adorns the University of Miami’s baseball park, will be part of the Fox broadcast.

— george richards, miamiherald, "Babe Ruth, Satchel Paige and A-Rod part of Miami’s long and storied baseball history," 5 July 2017
As was the style in the mid-19th century, gowns came adorned with all the trimmings.

— thomas admson, The Seattle Times, "Chanel aims high with starry ‘Eiffel Tower’ Paris show," 4 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of adorn

Middle English, from Latin adornare, from ad- + ornare to furnish — more at ornate

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First Known Use: 14th century

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adorn Synonyms

Synonyms

decorate, array, beautify, bedeck, bedizen, blazon, caparison, deck, do, doll up, do up, drape, dress, embellish, emblaze, emboss, enrich, fancify, fancy up, festoon, garnish, glitz (up), grace, gussy up, ornament, pretty (up), trim

Antonyms

blemish, deface, disfigure, mar, scar, spoil

Related Words

accessorize, dress up, trap, trick (out); brighten, freshen, smarten, spruce (up); boss, chase; braid, embroider, feather, figure, filigree, fillet, flounce, frill, fringe, furbelow, garland, hang, lace, ribbon, swag, wreathe; appliqué, gild, paint; diamond, gem, impearl, jewel, pearl; redecorate, redo

Near Antonyms

simplify, streamline; bare, denude, dismantle, display, divest, expose, reveal, strip, uncover; uglify

Synonym Discussion of adorn

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

ADORN Defined for English Language Learners

adorn

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verb

Definition of adorn for English Language Learners

: to make (someone or something) more attractive by adding something beautiful

ADORN Defined for Kids

adorn

play

verb \ ə-ˈdȯrn \

Definition of adorn for Students

adorned; adorning

:to make more attractive by adding something

Paintings adorn the walls.

Learn More about adorn

See words that rhyme with adorn Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for adorn Spanish Central: Translation of adorn Nglish: Translation of adorn for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of adorn for Arabic speakers

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Examples of adorn in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of adorn

adorn Synonyms

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Antonyms

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Synonym Discussion of adorn

ADORN Defined for English Language Learners

adorn

Definition of adorn for English Language Learners

ADORN Defined for Kids

adorn

Definition of adorn for Students

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