embellishment

noun

em·​bel·​lish·​ment im-ˈbe-lish-mənt 

1

: the act or process of embellishing

2

: something serving to embellish

3

: ornament sense 5

Synonyms

• adornment
• beautifier
• caparison
• decoration
• doodad
• embellisher
• frill
• garnish
• garnishment
• garniture
• ornament
• ornamentation
• setoff
• trim

Examples of embellishment in a Sentence

a colorful mobile is just the embellishment that the soon-to-be nursery needs

the actor's penchant for embellishment suggests that his memoirs would be more appropriately shelved in the fiction section

Recent Examples on the Web

The post describes how this tiny social media embellishment turned into a long-running charade. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025

Both pieces were made of a lace-like material with silver embellishments in a delicate pattern. —Renan Botelho, Footwear News, 25 Apr. 2025

The reality star also wore red stiletto heels with sparkly embellishments. —Catherine Santino, People.com, 15 Apr. 2025

Most people will need to seek help from a nail technician for a look such as this one, but for those with advanced skill sets and kits at home, Kawajiri recommends using hard gel to apply the embellishments. —Thalía Henao, Allure, 11 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1