beautify

play

verb beau·ti·fy \ ˈbyü-tə-ˌfī \

Definition of beautify

beautified; beautifying

transitive verb

:to make beautiful or add beauty to

intransitive verb

:to grow beautiful

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beautification

play \ˌbyü-tə-fə-ˈkā-shən\ noun

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beautifier

play \ˈbyü-tə-ˌfī(-ə)r\ noun

See beautify defined for English-language learners

See beautify defined for kids

Examples of beautify in a Sentence

Fresh flowers beautify every room.
beautified the roadside landscape by planting flowers

Recent Examples of beautify from the Web

For decades, cities from Shanghai, China, to London have lined their avenues with trees to beautify downtown areas—and, planners hoped, cut air pollution.

— barbra rodriguez, Science | AAAS, "Roadside trees trap asthma-inducing pollutants," 23 Aug. 2017
My biggest takeaway: beautifying yourself like Kim Kardashian takes a ton of work.

— kaitlyn frey, PEOPLE.com, "We Tried It: Kim Kardashian's $3,000+ Beauty Routine Changed My Skin Forever," 18 Aug. 2017
The garage isn’t going anywhere, but can’t Councilman Jose Huizar encourage the owner to beautify the space with vines or foliage?

— neal broverman, Los Angeles Magazine, "Angels Flight Deserves a More Uplifting Home," 31 July 2017
No wonder, then, that the effort to tame and beautify death in daguerreotypes collapsed in the late 19th century.

— nancy west, The Atlantic, "Pictures of Death," 19 July 2017
Volunteers descended on a corner in Milwaukee's Lindsay Heights neighborhood Sunday to plant flowers, install floral boxes and beautify a garden in honor of Za'Layia Jenkins, one of last year's youngest victims of gun violence.

— ashley luthern, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "A Milwaukee girl died by gunfire. Now a garden grows in her name.," 2 July 2017
At the June 26 groundbreaking for the $3.5 million project, Mayor Anthony Copeland said the project will beautify the Harborwalk at the city's marina.

— javonte anderson, Post-Tribune, "East Chicago lakefront prepares for new additions," 29 June 2017
Survivors have charged that the facade was installed to beautify their housing project for the benefit of wealthy neighbors.

— david d. kirkpatrick, danny hakim and james glanz, New York Times, "Why Grenfell Tower Burned: Regulators Put Cost Before Safety," 24 June 2017
Over the years other vacant lots on this stretch of the street were beautified into miniature community spaces where kids play and neighbors gather for spontaneous barbecues and cocktail parties.

— maya dukmasova, Chicago Reader, "A block in Oakland is an oasis, and a tale of segregation," 22 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of beautify

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

beautify Synonyms

Synonyms

adorn, array, decorate, 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 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.