beautify

verb

beau·​ti·​fy ˈbyü-tə-ˌfī How to pronounce beautify (audio)
beautified; beautifying
Synonyms of beautifynext

transitive verb

: to make beautiful or add beauty to
tips on how to beautify your home

intransitive verb

: to grow beautiful
beautification noun
beautifier noun
Choose the Right Synonym for beautify

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 beautify in a Sentence

Fresh flowers beautify every room. volunteers beautified the roadside landscape by planting flowers
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Refashioning the site is complicated, requiring crews working within a tight footprint to carefully preserve and renovate historic buildings, install exhibits and beautify pathways — amid the millions of visitors who flock to the Alamo every year. Madison Iszler, San Antonio Express-News, 10 Feb. 2026 Saturday’s event at Hansen Dam in San Fernando Valley brought Angelenos together with the common purpose of enhancing and beautifying neighborhoods to ensure that Los Angeles shines on the world stage. Daily News, 10 Feb. 2026 The city will also be doing some landscaping on the edge of the street to beautify the area around the store. Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Feb. 2026 Acclaimed restaurant designer John O’Brien is beautifying the space. Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 29 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for beautify

Word History

Etymology

Middle English bewtyfien, from beaute beauty + -fien -fy

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of beautify was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Beautify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beautify. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.

Kids Definition

beautify

verb
beau·​ti·​fy ˈbyüt-ə-ˌfī How to pronounce beautify (audio)
beautified; beautifying
: to make beautiful or more beautiful
beautification noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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